MINNEAPOLIS — Groundhog week mercifully ended for the Mets on Sunday with shutdown relief and a ninth-inning rally.
After three straight games in which the bullpen and lineup flushed respectable starting pitching, the Mets received a big hit from DJ Stewart in the ninth and got three outs from Adam Ottavino in a 2-0 victory over the Twins at Target Field.
The Mets had their three-game losing streak snapped on a day they managed only four hits, but allowed the same total.
Stewart delivered a two-run double in the ninth for the game’s only runs. Francisco Lindor blooped a leadoff double in the inning and Jeff McNeil was hit by a pitch to start the winning rally.
Ottavino recorded the save behind scoreless relief innings from Phil Bickford, Trevor Gott and Brooks Raley.
Pablo Lopez dominated the Mets by establishing a career high with 14 strikeouts over eight shutout innings in which he allowed two hits and hit two batters.
Tylor Megill gave the Mets five shutout innings in which he allowed two hits and struck out two with four walks.
For Megill it was a second quality start in his last three — he held the Rangers to one run over six innings on Aug. 28.
On this day he was removed after 93 pitches in a scoreless game.
Megill escaped trouble in the third by retiring Royce Lewis with runners on second and third and two outs.
In the inning, the right-hander allowed a single and a walk.
Another potential hit was erased when McNeil trapped Alex Kirilloff’s sinking line drive to left and threw out Willi Castro at second base.
Castro singled in the fifth and Edouard Julien walked with one out, but Megill got Kirilloff to hit into an inning-ending double play.
The Mets had limited chances early.
Brandon Nimmo singled leading off the game, but advanced no further than first base.
Francisco Alvarez’s single in the fourth and Lindor’s hit-by-pitch with two outs gave the Mets the semblance of a rally, but McNeil was retired.
Read more
