There wasnt much flashy about the , which largely mirrored the approach the front office took in a sembling this team last winter. Maybe Exhibit A on that front was Sean Manaea, the only free-agent signed to a multi-year contract (two years, $28 million) by the club. Manaea has worked out just fine, and Tuesday night even looked elite. With the left-hander showing his best stuff of the season over seven scorele s innings, the Mets won their second straight, 2-0 over the Twins at Citi Field. Mets pitcher Sean Manaea (59) reacts after ending the seventh inning against the Minnesota Twins at Citi Field on Tuesday, July 30, 2024. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST Before the game the team completed trades to addre s the rotation and bullpen, and and Tyler Zuber from the Marlins and Rays, respectively. Manaea, who pitched in Oakland with Blackburn, was asked what the Mets are getting in their newest addition to the rotation. Explore More Consistency, Manaea said. Hes pretty quiet. Manager Carlos Mendoza said he had enough conversations with president of baseball operations David Stearns in recent weeks to have a good sense of the Mets direction at the trade deadline. Mendozas reaction to the moves? You dont try to get too excited or down, because at the end of the day you are going to have a lot of conversations and who knows, you have got to find a match, Mendoza said. But the whole time my job is to manage the 26 guys and win a baseball game every night. Mets third base Mark Vientos reacts as he rounds the bases after his solo homer during the fifth inning against the Minnesota Twins at Citi Field, Tuesday, July 30, 2024. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST Manaea allowed only two hits and one walk and finished with a season-high 11 strikeouts before Ryne Stanek and Edwin Diaz combined to record the final six outs. Diaz, who entered with the tying runs on base in the eighth and struck out Buxton, worked 1 1/3 innings for his 13 th save. The shutout was the Mets third this season, all of which have occurred since July Jonathan Bowlan Jersey 11. The Mets (57-50) moved seven games above .500 for the second time this season and will look to complete the series sweep Wednesday before heading to the West Coast. Mets pitcher Edwin Diaz (39) reacts after getting the final out of the eighth inning on July 30, 2024. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST Manaeas outing followed a strong performance a night earlier from Jose Quintana, who limited the Twins to one run over six innings. Manaea relied heavily on his sinker and surrendered two singles, to Brooks Lee and Carlos Santana, on the night. His strikeout total was the highest by a Mets left-hander since Steven Matz in 2018. I felt like I was throwing everything for strikes and getting ahead of guys, Manaea said. Manaeas best work might have come against the meat of the Twins lineup Buxton, Royce Lewis and Jose Miranda were a combined 0-for-8 with eight strikeouts. Sean Manaea tallied a season-high 11 strikeouts Tuesday night. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST When hes throwing the sinker, but then hes got the sweeper and the fastball off the top with [velocity], with conviction and life it makes for a tough at-bat, Mendoza said. They have got some good right-handed hitters that can hit left-handed pitchers and he pretty much was complete attacking today. Offensively, the Mets were quiet a night after erupting for 15 runs, but managed to survive on five hits. J.D. Martinez stroked an RBI single in the fourth that brought in the games first run. Brandon Nimmo walked and took second on a balk before reaching third on a wild pitch. Martinez followed with a single that gave him 47 RBIs for the season. Mark Vientos homered leading off the fifth to give the Mets a 2-0 lead. The blast was Vientos third in seven games and 15 th overall this season. The ensuing batter, Jeff McNeil, got plunked by David Festa, but was left stranded at second base. Festa, a Verona, N.J. native who attended Seton Hall, lasted five innings and allowed two earned runs on three hits with six strikeouts and one walk. It was the fourth major-league appearance for the right-hander and third as a starter. Alec Marsh Jersey