Luis Severino kept everybody warm on a blustery night by breaking out the heat early and maintaining it.
When it wasn’t the four-seamer, the veteran right-hander was frustrating batters with his cutter.
Overall, 72 percent of his 90 pitches were fastballs, and catching up was a problem for the opposition.
With Severino in command over his five innings, the Mets opened a new homestand with their fourth victory in five games, 6-1 over the Royals at Citi Field.
The Mets spread around the offense, getting big hits from Brandon Nimmo, Brett Baty and Pete Alonso.
And Jeff McNeil, who began to emerge from his early slump over the last four games, had a breakout 3-for-4 performance.
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The only blemish on Severino’s night were the four walks that kept him from extending beyond the fifth.
But for a second straight start, he held an opponent to one earned run over five innings.
On this night, the only hit he allowed was Salvador Perez’s homer leading off the second inning.
The Mets bullpen handled the rest, with Jake Diekman, Reed Garrett, Adam Ottavino and Jorge Lopez combining for four shutout innings.
For Severino, it was a much better performance than his Citi debut in a Mets uniform.
In that game against the Brewers two weeks ago, he allowed a homer to Rhys Hoskins as part of an 11-hit beatdown over five innings in which he allowed three earned runs and six overall.
Severino averaged 96 mph with his four-seamer on this night and 93.3 mph with his cutter.
He struck out four batters.
Perez homered leading off the second to put Severino in a 1-0 hole.
Severino walked consecutive batters, Nelson Velazquez and Adam Frazier, later in the inning but escaped by retiring Hunter Renfroe and Kyle Isbel in succession to end the inning.
Brett Baty celebrates after smacking a two-run double for the Mets. Robert Sabo for NY PostNimmo’s RBI double in the third tied it 1-1 following Harrison Bader’s two-out single and stolen base against Michael Wacha.
Four straight singles against Wacha in the fourth allowed the Mets to take a 3-1 lead.
After Alonso hit into a double play, Baty, Francisco Alvarez, McNeil and DJ Stewart each delivered a single, netting two runs.
Baty’s two-run double off the centerfielder Isbel’s glove extended the Mets’ lead to 5-1 in the fifth.
Nimmo’s walk and a single by slumping Francisco Lindor set up the inning.
Francisco Lindor recorded a hit in the win. Robert Sabo for NY PostBefore his first plate appearance, the reeling Lindor received a standing ovation — following team owner Steve Cohen’s advice on X last weekend — but was retired.
Lindor also heard cheers before his ensuing at-bats, which produced a walk and single.
Alonso smoked an 0-2 fastball from Will Smith for a homer leading off the seventh.
The blast was Alonso’s fourth of the season.
