Juan Soto, Pete Alonso homer but Mets fall to Twins, 6-3

Juan Soto and Pete Alonso homered but the rest of the Mets lineup was held in check by the Twins in their 6-3 loss in Minnesota on Tuesday night.

Here are the takeaways…

-A day after Soto’s comments set the baseball world ablaze — sarcasm — both he and Alonso showed off their power. Alonso got the scoring started for the Mets, taking Bailey Ober deep in the first for his fifth longball of the season. With the Mets down 2-1 in the fourth, Soto launched a 351-foot blast off Ober to tie the game.

But after the Alonso homer, Ober settled in retiring seven straight Mets at one point and the Mets had just three hits entering the seventh inning but then began to get to the right-hander. Mark Vientos hit a one-out single before Luis Torres doubled. Carlos Mendoza pinch-hit Jesse Winker for Tyrone Taylor. The Twins countered with a lefty reliever and got Winker to fly out to right, plating Vientos on the sac fly. After Luisangel Acuña walked, Francisco Lindor grounded out to end the threat.

-The Mets had one last gasp in the ninth. The Twins’ defense allowed Vientos to reach on an error and failed to complete a couple of double plays, allowing Acuña to single and get Lindor up as the tying run. Lindor had a 3-1 count but eventually struck out to end the game.

-The Mets had seven hits, with Alonso being the only one with multiple hits.

–Tylor Megill was solid in the early going, scattering hits until the third inning. With one out and runners on the corners, Megill got DaShawn Keirsey Jr. to pop out on a safety squeeze and Ty France hit a grounder to Lindor, but the Mets shortstop booted it, allowing the tying run. Carlos Correa followed up with an RBI single to put the Twins up 2-1.

It’s Lindor’s fourth error this season. He had just 12 all of last year.

The Twins threatened again in the fourth. After an HBP, Ryan Jeffers hit a double that was nearly a home run — it was initially called one but overturned. Megill struck out Willi Castro, but Harrison Bader hit a hard grounder to Vientos that the third baseman could not get his bearings on and everyone was safe, and a run scored. A double play allowed Megill to escape with just one run scored.

Megill would allow one run in the fifth but it was an odd game for the big right-hander. He pitched five innings, throwing 95 pitches (60 strikes) while allowing four runs (two earned) on eight hits and striking out three batters. His ERA rose to 1.40, which is eighth-best in the majors among qualified pitchers.

–Max Kranick has been amazing this season, but the Twins got to the young right-hander. He allowed a leadoff double — just the third hit allowed this season — before Edouard Julien spoiled Kranick’s perfect ERA, lining a two-out single into left field to extend the Twins’ lead to 5-2.

Kranick would allow a solo shot in the seventh. He surrendered two runs on four hits in his 1.2 innings of work. Before Tuesday, Kranick allowed no runs over his previous 10.0 innings.

Game MVP: Ryan Jeffers

The catcher has been hampered with a thumb injury this season, but it didn’t affect him Tuesday. He went 3-for-3 and reached base four times.

Highlights

What’s next

The Mets finish their three-game series with the Twins with an afternoon showdown on Wednesday. First pitch is set for 1:05 p.m.

Griffin Canning was originally scheduled to start but came down with an illness that had him scratched. The Mets have yet to announce a starter. Minnesota will send David Festa to the mound.

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