Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
QUEENS, NY — Milwaukee Brewers phenom Jacob Misiorowski had been lights out across his first three career MLB starts, allowing just two earned runs in 16 innings. But the flamethrowing right-hander was served his first slice of humble pie by the New York Mets on Wednesday night at Citi Field.
Brandon Nimmo’s grand slam was the first leg of a five-run back-to-back home-run spree alongside the National League All-Star’s starting shortstop, Francisco Lindor, as ice-cold Mets bats broke out in a 7-3 victory in the second game of Wednesday’s doubleheader. The Brewers took the opener 7-2.
“Obviously, I was ecstatic getting us up four runs with one swing, it’s a big momentum shift, especially against him,” Nimmo said, referring to Misiorowski. “He’s done really well since he’s been in the big leagues, so it’s nice to get a lead there.”
It is just the Mets’ (49-38) fourth win in their last 18 games, but it snaps a four-game losing streak, which saw the offense wither away with six runs scored in their previous four games.
The second-inning blasts maximized manager Carlos Mendoza’s decision to shake up the top of his lineup. He moved Lindor out of the lead-off spot for the first time since May 17, 2024 (191 straight games), swapping him with Nimmo, the usual No. 2 hitter.
Lindor went 3-for-4 with three RBI — the latter two coming in the form of a single in the sixth and a double in the eighth to provide the Mets with some much-needed breathing room.
“Whatever it takes to win,” Lindor, who also DH’d, said. “Nimmo came out today, set the tone, hit a grand slam, got a hit, stole a base. He was fantastic today. Whatever it takes to win. I don’t have to hit in one place. I’ll hit wherever [Mendoza] puts me.”
Misiorowski, with his 1.13 ERA, breezed through the Mets in the first inning and got the first two outs of the second, exhibiting a lethal fastball which registered as high as 102 mph, before it all went awry.
He walked Brett Baty and Mauricio before Hayden Senger’s comebacker glanced off the pitcher’s glove and popped straight up. Second baseman Brice Turang could not reel in the loose ball while standing on second for what would have been an inning-ending force out.
Nimmo attacked a 95 mph slider drifting toward the inside of the zone and pulled it 361 feet into the right-field seats, allowing Citi Field to release some pent-up frustration and give the Mets a rare and comfortable 4-0 lead.
“It was a really cool moment because you could feel the crowd getting behind us,” Nimmo said. “That was huge, and anticipating there being a blow right there. Just going up there, not trying to do too much, but be able to get the ball in the air and get the barrel on it. When it went out, it was definitely really cool. The crowd went wild.”
Lindor, who entered Wednesday night in a 2-for-his-last-29 slump, caught up to a high 97 mph fastball and took it 379 feet over the right-center-field fence to make it a five-run Mets lead.
“We knew that we were gonna be out there and we had to win,” Lindor said. “There was a sense of urgency.”
Nimmo’s second hit of the day with two outs in the fourth ended Misiorowski’s night much earlier than anticipated. The 3.2 innings and two strikeouts were the fewest of his young career, while the five runs on five hits were the most.
Mets reliever Blade Tidwell provided 4.1 innings after reliever Huascar Brazoban opened with a clean first inning, picking up his first-career MLB victory.
“It was awesome,” Tidwell said. “The environment was electric, and it was really cool. It was a little different than on the road because you have your own fans behind you, but it was awesome.”
After four scoreless frames, the young righty surrendered back-to-back home runs of his own to Christian Yelich and Jackson Chourio to lead off the sixth inning. Joey Ortiz made it a two-run game with an RBI groundout to third off Dedniel Nunez, though the run was charged to Tidwell.
“It was huge [for Tidwell to throw multiple innings],” Mendoza said. “That’s how we mapped it out: Going with an opener and then trying to get five or six out of Tidwell there and then just try to piece it together.”
Lindor restored the Mets’ three-run advantage when he knocked in Mauricio, who led off the bottom of the sixth with a walk and advanced to third on a Senger sacrifice bunt and a Nimmo groundout.
After Edwin Diaz was called in to clean up a two-on, two-out jam in the eighth, Lindor doubled down the right-field line with two outs to score Travis Jankowski, who pinch ran for Senger after he walked.
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