QUEENS, NY — Sean Manaea posted his best start yet as a member of the New York Mets, posting seven scoreless innings while allowing just two hits and one walk with a season-high 11 strikeouts in his side’s 2-0 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday night at Citi Field.
“He was really good,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said of Manaea. “Pretty impressive. Everything was working. I thought the combo of the fastball whether it was a two-seam or at the top going with the sweeper, he had everything working.”
JD Martinez’s fourth-inning RBI single and Mark Vientos’ fifth-inning solo home run was all that Manaea and Mets pitching needed.
The Mets (57-50) have taken the first two games of their three-game set against Minnesota and have improved to 8-4 since the All-Star break to stay within a half-game of second place in the NL East behind the Atlanta Braves.
The veteran southpaw allowed only one batter, Brooks Lee, to reach scoring position after he stole second base following a one-out single in the third inning. He proceeded to strike out three straight between the third and fourth innings before Carlos Santana singled with one out in the frame.
That was the last base-runner the Twins would have against Manaea, who proceeded to retire the next 10 batters he faced while piling up five more strikeouts. Of the 96 pitches he threw, 70 were strikes. He was especially stingy against the heart of Minnesota’s order, holding Byron Buxton, Royce Lewis, and Jose Miranda — the Nos. 2, 3, and 4 hitters — to an 0-for-8 showing with eight strikeouts.
“I felt like I was throwing everything for strikes,” Manaea said. “Getting ahead of guys and just feeling good about all my pitches… Getting ahead of them, mixing it up — the slider/sweeper was really good today — and getting them over for strikes and throw them in different counts.”
Martinez gave the Mets the lead in the fourth inning when he singled home Brandon Nimmo from third. After recording just three RBI in 17 games, the veteran designated hitter has seven in his last four.
He was given the opportunity thanks to blunders from Twins starter David Festa, who walked Nimmo to lead off the fourth, then balked him to second and threw a wild pitch to move him up to third.
Vientos doubled the Mets’ lead to lead off the fifth inning, sending a 1-2 Festa offering into the left-field seats for his 15th home run of the season.
Festa, a New Jersey native who attended Seton Hall, went five innings and struck out six while allowing those two runs on three hits.
Following Manaea’s brilliant outing, Ryne Stanek recorded the first two outs of the eighth inning, though left with runners on first and second. Max Kepler reached on a throwing error by Pete Alonso and Lee walked, but Edwin Diaz struck out Byron Buxton to end the eighth.
The Mets’ closer proceeded to retire the side in order in the top of the ninth to secure a third shutout of the season, all of which have come since July 11.
