Luis Severino dominates Red Sox as Mets win fifth in a row, close gap on Braves for playoff spot
NEW YORK — For the Mets, it was different Sox, same result.
The Mets kicked off a crucial six-game homestand Monday night with a 4-1 win over the Red Sox, bringing them within a half-game of the Braves for the third and final NL wild-card spot.
Luis Severino continued to come up big during the Mets’ playoff push, hurling seven innings of one-run ball against one of the better offenses in baseball.
The right-hander’s excellence fueled the fifth win in a row by the Mets, who swept the last-place White Sox in Chicago over the weekend.
Severino used six different pitches to keep Boston off balance, prominently featuring three fastball variations, including a four-seamer he dialed up to 98 mph. He recorded five strikeouts, including two with that four-seamer and another with his cutter.
Severino improved to 3-0 with a 2.10 ERA over his last four starts, providing a big-game presence in a rotation that remains without ace Kodai Senga and promising rookie Christian Scott.
He improved to 10-6 this season, marking his first year with double-digit victories since he went 19-8 as a member of the Yankees in 2018.
Severino spent his first eight MLB seasons with the Yankees, repeatedly dealing with injuries over the last five years before signing a one-year contract with the Mets in the offseason.
Monday marked Severino’s first time facing the Red Sox with the Mets after he made 16 appearances — including 14 starts — against them as a Yankee, including his MLB debut in 2015.
He has now pitched 89 innings against Boston — his most versus any opponent — and boasts a 3.84 ERA in those 17 games.
The Mets’ offense began Monday with Starling Marte’s run-scoring double-play groundout against Brayan Bello in the second inning. Brandon Nimmo added an RBI double in the third, while Francisco Lindor’s RBI single capped a two-run fourth.
The Mets trailed Atlanta by four games for the last NL wild-card spot as recently as Wednesday but have not lost since, allowing them to close the gap quickly. The Braves, who have lost two games in a row, were off Monday.
The Mets’ starters now own an NL-best 3.67 ERA since June 13. The Mets are on their fifth win streak of at least five games of the season.
Their three-game series against Boston continues Tuesday night, with David Peterson (8-1, 2.83 ERA) set to start for the Mets and Kutter Crawford (8-12, 8-12, 4.12 ERA) scheduled to pitch for the Red Sox.
