Mets Win 5-1 as Pitching on Target on a Frigid Night in Minnesota

Mets 5 Twins 1 (Target Field , Minneapolis, MN)

Mets record: 11-5

Mets streak: Won 2

L10: 8-2

WP - Clay Holmes (2-1)

LP - Justin Topa (0-1)

Seat on the Korner: Luisangel Acuna

We select the star of the game and virtually invite him to a Seat on the Korner, just as Ralph Kiner used to do for his studio postgame show on WOR-channel 9 broadcasts in the early decades of the Mets.

Tonight’s Seat on the Korner goes to Luisangel Acuña, who made the most noise from the quietest spot in the lineup. Hitting out of the nine hole—traditionally reserved back in the day for pitchers, punchlines, and players trying to find their swing—Acuña looked like a leadoff man in disguise. He reached base three times, drawing a walk, ripping a double, adding a single, swiping a bag for good measure, and scoring two of the Mets’ five runs. Somewhere, Ralph Kiner is smiling and probably mispronouncing his name with affection. With his performance tonight, Acuña nudged his batting average up to .258 and earned himself a virtual invite to our postgame perch, the *Seat on the Korner*—no necktie required, but bring your bat and your wheels.

Need to Know

Sean Manaea (strained right oblique) got an MRI and started playing light catch from 60 feet today, the Mets will limit him to about that distance/intensity for the next 10 days, Carlos Mendoza said. They want to play it safe.
Jose Siri had an MRI and a CT scan today, because he's still "pretty sore," per Carlos Mendoza. Mets officials will make an IL decision on him later tonight.
Through sixteen games this season the Mets have not lost back-to-back games this year.
New York has won ten of their last 13 games.
This year marked the first time in franchise history that the Mets open their home and road schedule against an Interleague Opponent...The Mets are 7-3 in Interleague Play this season.The team went 24-22 in Interleague Play last year.Overall, New York owns a 285-279 record in Interleague play.
After going 0-11 through his first three games, Francisco Lindor
is batting .276 (13-47) with nine runs, four doubles, one home run, five RBI,
five walks, two steals.
The Twins and Mets are playing each other for the 29th time, The Mets are 18-11 lifetime against the Twins.
Twins Willi Castro streak of reaching base safely in 15 games came to an end. It was the longest on base streak for a Twin since 2018 when Brian Dozier reached in his first 17.
Tonight marked Joe Ryan's first appearance against the Mets .
Former Met Harrison Bader did not play and is 0-for-his-last-14.
Twins Trevor Larnach's two out single in the third inning broke Clay Holmes streak of retiring 18 straight batters at Target Field.

Turning Point

The turning point of the game came in the top of the sixth inning, shortly after the Twins had knotted the score at 1 in a strange and hitless bottom of the fifth. Clay Holmes lost his command momentarily, walking Trevor Larnach and then hitting Ty France. A wild pitch advanced both runners, and after a walk to Brooks Lee loaded the bases, Christian Vázquez lifted a sacrifice fly to left, scoring Larnach to tie the game. The Twins didn’t register a single hit in the frame but capitalized on free passes and a miscue to manufacture a run. However, the Mets immediately responded in the sixth. Pete Alonso laced a sharp single to center, and after a Brandon Nimmo strikeout, Mark Vientos ripped a double to right to bring Alonso home, reclaiming the lead. Then came the decisive moment—Luis Torrens hit a routine comebacker, but pitcher Justin Topa airmailed the throw to first, allowing Vientos to score and Torrens to advance to second. What could’ve been the end of the inning instead pushed the Mets’ lead to 3-1, a margin they wouldn’t relinquish. That error by Topa proved to be the game’s turning point, shifting momentum firmly back to New York.

Three Keys

Start Me Up

The Mets starting rotation has been rockin’ and rollin’ to open the season, and much like the Rolling Stones famously sang, "If you start me up, I'll never stop," these arms have been unstoppable. With Clay Holmes stepping in and delivering a solid five-inning, one-run performance, the momentum keeps building. After Holmes’ outing, Mets starters have posted a dazzling MLB-best 2.50 ERA over 82.2 innings, allowing just 23 earned runs while striking out 91. It’s been a relentless groove from the rotation—every time they take the mound, they get things started right and keep the opposition from ever getting into rhythm.

That Juan's Gone

Juan Soto snapped his 13-game home run drought in emphatic fashion with a towering two-run blast in the seventh inning, his second as a Met, extending New York’s lead to 5-1. Just as KinersKorner.com’s Howie Karpin predicted earlier today, Soto will hit—and hit he did. While the power had been quiet, Soto’s presence at the plate remained consistent—he has reached base safely in 15 of his 16 games since joining the Mets, showcasing his trademark plate discipline and ability to contribute even without the long ball. Now batting .250 with 14 hits in 56 at-bats, Soto has added four doubles, two home runs, six RBI, 14 walks, and an impressive .829 OPS to his early Mets résumé. His seventh-inning homer was a reminder of the game-changing threat he brings to the lineup and came at a perfect time to put the game further out of reach for the Twins.

Oh What A Relief It Is.

After Clay Holmes delivered a solid five-inning outing, allowing just one run, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza handed the ball to the bullpen—and they continued their dominant start to the season. Huascar Brazobán was lights-out, tossing two hitless and scoreless innings with poise and precision. He handed things off to Reed Garrett, who followed suit by keeping the Twins off the board and Ryne Stanick slammed the door on any hopes of a late rally. The pen preserved the Mets’ lead and underscored the bullpen’s early-season brilliance. With another shutout performance, the Mets’ relief corps has now combined for a sparkling 1.82 ERA (12 ER in 59.1 IP), proving to be one of the most reliable units in all of baseball..