The New York Mets are stuck in a 12-game losing streak, and the numbers around the slide show why the concern has grown so fast. Their latest loss to the Minnesota Twins at Citi Field added another layer to a stretch that has left them with the worst record in baseball at 7-16.
The slump is not just about one bad night or one weak inning. The Mets have repeatedly lost games after leading, struggled with runners in scoring position, and managed only 1.83 runs per game during the streak.
Six losses after leading
Six of the 12 defeats came in games in which the Mets held a lead at some point. That pattern has been especially damaging because it suggests the team has not only struggled to score, but also failed to close out games it had already put in position to win.
Devin Williams has become a symbol of that problem. Through April 7, he had not allowed a run in his first five outings with the Mets, but over his last three appearances he has given up seven runs in 1⅓ innings.
Against the Twins, Williams entered with the game tied and took the loss after allowing the final two runs. The official blown lead belonged to starter Nolan McLean, who had done much of the work before the bullpen shortage forced the Mets to push him deeper.
Manager Carlos Mendoza pointed to that thin relief group after the game. “We had a couple of our guys down,” he said, explaining why McLean stayed in longer than usual.
The offense has gone cold at the worst times
The Mets’ batting numbers in key situations have dropped sharply during the streak. Their combined clutch line of .311 sounds useful at first glance, but that figure is built from three ugly splits: .161 with runners in scoring position, .094 with two outs and runners in scoring position, and .056 in late-inning high-leverage spots.
That lack of timely hitting has shown up in the game flow, too. The Mets did not record a hit after the fourth inning against Minnesota, and they did not get a runner on base after the fifth.
Mendoza said the lineup started well before fading. “I thought we had some really good at-bats the first four innings,” he said. “After that, they just kind of shut us down. We couldn’t get anything more.”
Over the last 12 games, New York has scored only eight runs from the sixth inning onward. In Tuesday’s loss alone, Minnesota scored five runs in those final four innings.
Marcus Semien has actually produced some of the best work with runners in scoring position during the streak, going 4-for-9. The rest of the team has gone 6-for-53 in those spots, a .113 average.
Juan Soto’s return offers some relief
Juan Soto is set to return Wednesday after missing 15 games with a left quad strain. His absence has mattered, even if the offense cannot blame everything on one player.
Before Soto got hurt on April 3, the Mets were scoring 4.38 runs per game. Since then, they have fallen to 2.67 runs per game, the lowest mark in the majors over that stretch.
The team has scored two runs or fewer in nine of the 12 losses during the skid. That level of production has made every late-game deficit feel bigger, especially because the lineup has not been able to create enough pressure after the middle innings.
Francisco Lindor said the return of Soto should help, but he also warned against putting the entire burden on him. “I hope everybody doesn’t put all the pressure on him, because it’ll be a little bit unfair,” Lindor said. “But I know he is going to help us tons; he’s one of the top three hitters in the league.”
The preseason promise is still there, but the history is grim
The current record looks alarming, but the season still has plenty of time left. The Mets have 139 games remaining, and projection models still viewed them as a strong team before the season began.
One preseason simulation placed them at 90.7 wins, which works out to a .560 winning percentage. If that level of performance held from here, the Mets would still land around 85 or 86 wins by season’s end, a total that can reach the postseason in many seasons.
But the historical context is not encouraging. Teams that have lost 12 straight are 0-for-138 when it comes to making the postseason. That is a difficult trend for any club, and it lands especially hard for a roster carrying a payroll north of $375 million.
Mendoza said belief remains in the clubhouse despite the numbers. “Obviously the history will tell you otherwise,” he said. “But you still believe in the players. You still believe in the guys in that room.”
Williams struck a similar note after the latest loss, saying the team still has a chance to win every day. For the Mets, the challenge now is simple but urgent: stop stacking losses and start building a run that can pull the season back toward the level their talent suggested before the slide began.
