Juan Soto launched his first home run since Opening Weekend, helping the New York Mets secure a 5-1 win over the struggling Minnesota Twins on Monday night — in front of the smallest non-COVID-affected crowd in Target Field history.
Soto’s two-run blast in the seventh inning off Twins reliever Jorge Alcala gave the Mets breathing room, extending their lead to 5-1. The homer was Soto's first since March 28 and a much-needed power boost for New York’s offense.
Pete Alonso and Luisangel Acuña each had two hits in the win. Alonso delivered an early RBI single, while Acuña sparked the bottom of the lineup, reaching base three times, stealing a base, and scoring twice. The Mets (9-7) have now won nine of their last 11 games.
Clay Holmes (2-1) delivered a solid outing, allowing two hits and striking out eight over five innings. He escaped a bases-loaded jam in the fifth inning by limiting the Twins to a single run on a Christian Vázquez sacrifice fly.
Mark Vientos broke a 1-1 tie in the sixth with an RBI double and later scored on a throwing error by Justin Topa (0-1), giving the Mets a 3-1 advantage.
The Twins (5-12) managed just three hits on a cold, damp evening and struck out 13 times — tying a season high. Their offensive struggles continue, with a team batting average of just .203, second-worst in the American League.
Starter Joe Ryan battled through five innings for Minnesota, striking out eight while throwing 101 pitches and allowing one run.
Despite a strong recent performance from the starting rotation — a combined 0.96 ERA over the past seven games — the Twins have dropped five of those contests, underlining their lack of run support.
Only 10,240 fans were in attendance at Target Field, the lowest regular-season turnout in the ballpark’s history outside of pandemic-related restrictions.
Up Next
The series continues Tuesday night with Mets RHP Tylor Megill (2-1, 0.63 ERA) facing Twins RHP Bailey Ober (0-1, 7.11 ERA).
