The Mets' bullpen pitched five shutout innings to help lead the way to a 3-2 victory over the Twins on Tuesday night. >> Box score
Five things to know from Tuesday's game
1) Steven Matz gave the Mets four solid innings of work in his return to the rotation, allowing just two runs on five hits. First inning troubles have plagued him all season long, allowing 23 first inning runs in his first 17 starts, but he pitched an easy first inning on Tuesday in Minneapolis. His night came to an end after 68 pitches, slightly under the 75-80 pitch limit that Mickey Callaway set for him before the game.
2) Michael Conforto had another strong performance for the Mets out of the two hole. He singled with two outs in the fifth to break a 2-2 tie, and he also made a spectacular catch against the wall in the bottom of the third inning to rob Nelson Cruz of extra bases and end a potential Twins rally. Conforto finished the night with four hits, his most in a game since May 2018.
3) On a night that the Mets knew they'd need innings from their bullpen with Matz on a pitch count, the pen delivered perhaps their strongest outing of the season. Robert Gsellman, Luis Avilan, Jeurys Familia, Justin Wilson, Seth Lugo, and Edwin Diaz combined for five innings of shutout baseball. Diaz allowed two runners to reach base with one out, and a Marwin Gonzalez infield single loaded the bases with two away. Cruz then popped up to Todd Frazier in foul territory to end the game.
4) Jeff McNeil led off the game with a single to right, and the Mets took advantage of some sloppy Twins defense to get on the board first. A passed ball, a wild pitch from Michael Pineda, a fielding error by Jonathan Schoop, and a very poor throw from Max Kepler in center field combined for two unearned runs for the Mets in the first inning.
5) Coming off of a four-hit performance on Sunday in Miami, Robinson Cano put the Mets on the board first with a sac fly to center field. He did cool off at the plate the rest of the night, though, finishing the game 0-3 with that sac fly RBI.
Highlights
Video: WATCH: Michael Conforto's great grab in CF
What's next
The Mets and Twins wrap up their two-game set with an afternoon matchup at Target Field on Wednesday. Jason Vargas (3-5, 4.23 ERA) takes on fellow lefty Martin Perez (8-3, 4.62 ERA) with first pitch set for 1:10 p.m. on SNY.