Queens, NY—-The New York Mets continued their downward spiral Tuesday night, dropping their 12th straight game in a 5-3 loss to the Minnesota Twins.
The game unraveled in the ninth inning when closer Devin Williams surrendered a go-ahead RBI single to Luke Keaschall. Moments later, Matt Wallner drew a bases-loaded walk to extend the lead, capping a disastrous outing in which Williams failed to retire any of the five batters he faced. The struggling reliever was met with boos as he exited, having now allowed seven runs while recording just four outs across his last three appearances.
The losing streak marks the Mets’ longest skid since 2002, and history offers little encouragement—no team that has endured a 12-game losing streak has gone on to reach the postseason.
For much of the night, it appeared New York might finally reverse course. Rookie pitcher Nolan McLean dominated early, retiring the first 15 batters he faced. Meanwhile, Francisco Lindor provided a spark with a three-run homer in the third inning, giving the Mets their largest lead in weeks.
But the momentum didn’t last. Wallner opened the sixth inning with a hit, and Byron Buxton followed later with a two-out home run to cut into the deficit. Keaschall then delivered again in the seventh, driving in the tying run.
From there, the Twins’ bullpen took control. Four pitchers combined to retire the final 14 Mets hitters in order, with Cole Sands earning the win after closing out the final two innings.
Despite the loss, McLean delivered an impressive performance, allowing three runs while striking out 10 over 6 2/3 innings. Twins starter Simeon Woods Richardson gave up three runs across five innings.
The Twins have yet to name a starter for Wednesday’s matchup, while the Mets are expected to turn to Clay Holmes (2-2, 1.96 ERA) as they try to avoid extending their skid even further.
