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.