Luke Keaschall’s second RBI single of the game snapped a ninth-inning tie Tuesday night and helped the visiting Minnesota Twins rally past the slumping New York Mets 5-3.
In losing its 12th straight game, New York coughed up a 3-0 lead as closer Devin Williams melted down during the top of the ninth. Williams (0-1) didn’t retire any of the five hitters he faced, walking three.
That included Matt Wallner, whose free pass with the sacks filled forced Ryan Jeffers home with an insurance run, inspiring angry boos from the listed crowd of 32,798 as Mets manager Carlos Mendoza hooked Williams.
Minnesota’s bullpen retired all 12 hitters it faced. Cole Sands (1-1) pitched the last two innings to earn the win, fanning Tyrone Taylor for the last out.
Needing something good to happen early in the opener of its nine-game homestand, New York got it in the bottom of the third. Mark Vientos led off with a single and was forced at second on Carson Benge’s grounder.
Benge swiped second and Marcus Semien walked. After working a full count, Lindor crushed a 3-2 offering an estimated 410 feet into the second deck in right field. It was his second homer and quadrupled his RBI total from one to four.
Nolan McLean mowed down the first 15 hitters he faced before finding trouble in the sixth. Wallner broke up his perfect game with a leadoff single and trotted home with two outs when Byron Buxton lofted a two-run homer, his fourth of the year, just over the leaping Benge and over the left field wall.
Minnesota equalized an inning later when Kody Clemens lined a double to right and scored on Keaschall’s line-drive single to center. One out later, McLean was gone after fanning 10 in 6 2/3 innings while permitting five hits and three runs.
Keaschall’s hit got Twins starter Simeon Woods Richardson off the hook after he pitched five innings, yielding four hits and three runs with three walks and two strikeouts.
