4/9/19 Game Preview: Minnesota Twins at New York Mets

The first home series of the season didn’t go great for the New York Mets (6-3), who dropped two out of three against the Washington Nationals. The Mets fell behind 12-1 on Sunday, but to their credit they didn’t give up, scoring eight unanswered runs to make the Nationals use closer Sean Doolittle in a 12-9 loss. Now that the Nationals are out of town, the Mets will look to score their first home series win of the season when they welcome the Minnesota Twins (5-3) to town for their first taste of interleague action of the season. First pitch for the opener of a brief two game set is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. at Citi Field.

After making the playoffs in 2017, the Twins took a big step back in 2018, going 78-84 to miss the postseason. Injuries and poor performance from young stars like Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano didn’t help, but Minnesota was active in the offseason to try and build a competitive team. Veterans like Jonathan Schoop, Nelson Cruz, and Marwin Gonzalez were imported to bolster the lineup. With a ton of young talent still around, the Twins have a legitimate chance to win the American League Central this season.

The Mets will send their ace, right hander Jacob deGrom (2-0, 0.00 ERA) to the mound tonight. deGrom did it all in the Mets’ win over the Miami Marlins last Wednesday, tossing seven shutout innings while striking out 14 and homering for good measure. The Twins will counter with righty Kyle Gibson (0-0, 9.64 ERA). Gibson was hit hard in his first start of the season, giving up six runs (five earned) in 4.2 innings against the Kansas City Royals last Wednesday. The Twins bailed Gibson out of a loss by coming back to win 7-6.

Local Coverage:

Television: SNY

Radio: WCBS

New York Mets Lineup:

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Pre-Game Notes:

• The Mets and Twins last played in 2016, with the Mets sweeping a three game set at Citi Field in mid-September.
• deGrom has never faced the Twins before.
• Gibson is 0-2 with a 7.27 ERA in two career starts against the Mets.
• The Mets will go with the all lefty outfield for the first time, starting Brandon Nimmo in center and Jeff McNeil out in left. This puts Juan Lagares on the bench in favor of J.D. Davis at third.
• Travis d’Arnaud will make his first start of the season, giving Wilson Ramos a day off, batting eighth and catching.