Flushing, NY: It was not an evening for Jacob deGrom Tuesday at Citi Field. The Minnesota Twins used the home run ball and deGrom lasted 4.0 innings and gave up three of their five home runs.
DeGrom also snapped a 26-game quality start streak and the Twins took the first of two from the Mets 14-8 in an early season April game that elapsed a little over four hours.
Edwin Rosario was part of a four-run Minnesota third inning. He got to deGrom with a runner on and hit a deGrom fastball over the fence in right center field. That led to a barrage of runs for the Twins that ended with the team hitting six home runs.
Combined, both teams hit a Citi Field record 10 home runs balls.The Twins Jorge Polanco hit his second home run of the season on a ball to center field in the top of the 8th inning off Robert Gsellman for the 10-4 lead. The Mets would make a brief comeback with a 4-run ninth inning but it was a rough road to overcome,
But it was Jacob deGrom and his inability to command the fastball. The result for the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner was allowing six runs.Those were the most runs allowed by deGrom since September 5, 2017 against the Phillies.
The 28-year old Polanco, in his second year with the Twins, went 3-for-5 and finished a double shy of his second cycle in his last four games. This interleague series continues Wednesday night and Polanco has hit.373 in those games with 16 extra base hits.
“I wasn’t paying attention to that,” he said through an interpreter about how the home run ball was hit at Citi Field Tuesday night. “I feels great, focused and happy about the way it’s going the beginning of the season.”
Polanco, born in San Pedro de Macoris Dominican Republic, had a career high four-hit game last September. Facing deGrom in the third inning he got hold of a 95-mile fastball and tripled to right-center.
“He’s a work force, a competitor, and he competes,” Polanco said about deGrom. Tbis was the first time he faced deGrom. Also, Polanco could not determine if there was anything different with the pitches.
The Twins have won five of their last seven games. Mitch Graver hit his first two home runs of the season, solo shots in the second and third innings.
Eddie Rosario, 2-for-4, drove in two runs, he also ended deGrom’s quality start streak with a two-run home run that gave the Twins’ their third and fourth runs.
