Soto hits 2nd homer and Mets top lowly Twins 5-1

MINNEAPOLIS — Juan Soto hit his first home run since the opening weekend of the season and the New York Mets beat the slumping Minnesota Twins 5-1 on Monday night.

Pete Alonso and Luisangel Acuña had two hits apiece for the Mets, who have won nine of 11. Alonso delivered an early RBI single, and Acuña stole a base and scored twice while reaching safely three times from the No. 9 spot in the batting order.

Minnesota (5-12) finished with three hits on a damp and chilly evening and tied a season high with 13 strikeouts.

With the Mets up 3-1 in the seventh inning and a runner on, Soto drilled a changeup from Jorge Alcala into the front row of seats in right-center for his first home run since March 28 in Houston.

One inning earlier, Mark Vientos doubled home Alonso with the tiebreaking run. Vientos scored two batters later on a throwing error by reliever Justin Topa (0-1) to make it 3-1.

Clay Holmes (2-1) allowed just two hits while striking out eight in five innings for the Mets. He breezed through his first four frames, but two walks and a hit batter loaded the bases for Minnesota with no outs in the fifth. The Twins managed just one run on a sacrifice fly by Christian Vázquez.

Minnesota is hitting .203, the second-lowest mark in the American League.

In the past seven games, Minnesota starters are 2-1 with a 0.96 ERA. They've struck out 36 batters, walked seven and allowed just one home run. Yet the team is 2-5.

Key moment

After the Mets took a 3-1 lead in the sixth, reliever Huascar Brazobán need just nine pitches to retire three Twins in the bottom of the inning.

Key stat

Excluding seasons impacted by COVID-19, the attendance of 10,240 was the lowest since Target Field opened in 2010.

Mets RHP Tylor Megill (2-1, 0.63 ERA) starts the middle game of the series Tuesday night against RHP Bailey Ober (0-1, 7.11).

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