Ty France delivered a walk-off RBI single leading off the 10th inning Wednesday afternoon for the Minnesota Twins, who built a rare winning streak by beating the New York Mets 4-3.
The Twins won the final two games of the three-game series — just the second time this season they’ve won consecutive games and the second time they’ve won a series.
The Mets have dropped back-to-back games for the first time.
France singled to shallow center against Reed Garrett (0-1). Tyrone Taylor tried playing the bounce on the short hop, but the ball skipped by him as automatic runner Byron Buxton scored easily from second.
Cole Sands (2-1), the Twins’ sixth pitcher, wriggled out of a two-on, no-out jam in the top of the 10th, when he induced Jesse Winker to hit into a double play and got Brandon Nimmo to pop out on consecutive pitches.
Harrison Bader and Buxton each had an RBI single in the fifth before Willi Castro extended the Twins lead to 3-0 with a run-scoring infield single in the sixth.
Bader, Buxton and Castro all had two hits apiece. Bader, who played last season with the Mets, was 5-for-7 in the last two games after sitting out Monday’s opener and robbed Taylor of the likely go-ahead hit to end the eighth.
The Mets tied the game in the eighth, when Pete Alonso and Winker each had RBI doubles before Winker scored on Luisangel Acuna’s single. Alonso, Winker and Brett Baty each had two hits.
Twins starter David Festa allowed five hits and one walk while striking out six over 4 1/3 scoreless innings
Huascar Brazoban struck out one in a scoreless first inning while serving as an opener for the Mets, who went with a bullpen day after scheduled starter Griffin Canning was scratched due to illness. It was the first start in 124 big league appearances for Brazoban.
Justin Hagenman made his major league debut in relief of Brazoban and allowed one run on three hits and no walks while striking out four over 3 1/3 innings.
–Field Level Media
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