Mets' 12-Game Losing Streak Is Now Their Worst in 24 Years and Nobody Has Answers

Steve Cohen showed up at Citi Field before Tuesday's game looking calm on the surface, but underneath? The Mets owner admitted he was "concerned" and "focused." He had good reason to be. His team just dropped its 12th straight game, falling to the Twins 5-3 in a loss that felt far too familiar by now.

This losing streak is the longest the Mets have suffered since 2002. It's tied for the sixth worst in franchise history. And yes, it's still five games short of the 17-game disaster from their inaugural 1962 season, but nobody's exactly feeling great about that distinction.

Everything That Could Go Wrong Did

The Mets had their moment. Nolan McLean cruised through five perfect innings. Francisco Lindor crushed a three-run homer. The momentum was there. Then the Twins scored once in the seventh and again in the ninth off closer Devin Williams, who has now allowed seven earned runs over his last three outings. A Luke Keaschall RBI single. Two walks. A sacrifice bunt attempt gone sideways when Mark Vientos threw to third, loading the bases. Keaschall punched a go-ahead single into left. Another run walked in. By the ninth inning, the Mets went down on just 12 pitches.

Manager Carlos Mendoza felt it slipping away. "You're feeling good," he said after the loss, "especially with the way the game was developing there. You watch Nolan kind of dominate pretty much a whole lineup there for the first five innings. But then after that, we couldn't do anything else."

The Desperation Is Real

Before Tuesday's game, the Mets gave every player a copy of "The Coffee Bean," a self-help book about changing your environment for the better. SNY field reporter Steve Gelbs took things further, wearing a garlic necklace and burning sage outside Citi Field. None of it worked.

The Mets now own sole possession of baseball's worst record at 7-16 after the Royals won Tuesday night. Devin Williams summed it up: "It's tough, man. I've never been a part of something like this."

The one bright spot? Juan Soto is due back from the injured list Wednesday. Mendoza cautioned against viewing Soto as a savior, but the reality is he's their best player. Whether he can snap this nightmare streak is the only question that matters now.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.