For the first time since April 3, Juan Soto was in the lineup for the New York Mets on Wednesday. And for the first time since April 7, the Mets were winners. New York’s losing streak came to an end at 12 games with their win over the Minnesota Twins (NYM 3, MIN 2) at Citi Field. The 12-game losing streak was their longest since 2002.
But Wednesday’s win came with a price: Francisco Lindor exited the game after the fourth inning. He came up lame as he scored from first base on Francisco Alvarez’s double in the bottom of the fourth. After undergoing an MRI on Thursday, Lindor was placed on the 10-day injured list with a left calf strain. The move comes just as Lindor in recent days had shown signs of finding his accustomed level at the plate. In a corresponding move, the Mets recalled infielder Ronny Mauricio, who will be the primary shortstop during Lindor’s absence. Soto missed 17 days with his Grade 1 calf strain, but Lindor’s injury appears to be more serious. Manager Carlos Mendoza on Thursday stated Lindor is “going to be down a while” and that his injury is worse than Soto’s.
The Mets took a 1-0 lead in the first inning and a 2-1 lead in the fourth inning, but the Twins rallied to knot things up both times. The 2-2 tie was broken in the bottom of the eighth inning when Mark Vientos dunked a two-out bloop single into right field to score Brett Baty from second base. Here is the bloop single that snapped the losing streak:
“I’m glad he got that hit and redeemed himself there,” Mendoza stated about Vientos, who ran through the third base coach Tim Leiper’s stop sign and got thrown out at the plate to end the sixth inning.
Luke Weaver, not Devin Williams, pitched the ninth inning to preserve the win. Williams did not retire any of the five batters he faced Tuesday, and blew a save earlier in the losing streak as well. Weaver recorded the final four outs on Wednesday and got the win, not a save. He had New York’s last win before the losing streak as well.
Here are the longest losing streaks in Mets’ history:
|
17
|
1962
|
40-120-1
|
|
15
|
1963
|
51-111
|
|
15
|
1982
|
65-97
|
|
13
|
1962
|
40-120-1
|
|
13
|
1980
|
67-95
|
|
12
|
2002
|
75-86
|
|
12
|
2026
|
???
|
As for Soto, he returned from his right calf strain on Wednesday and went 1 for 3 with a single and a walk as the DH. He also got picked off first base with one out and the game tied 2-2 in the bottom of the eighth inning, which is a big no-no. Before the game, Soto stated he didn’t talk to his teammates while on the injured list.
“No, not at all,” Soto stated prior to Wednesday’s game. “They’ve been on the road most of the time. I haven’t talked to them.”
The Athletic spoke to several veteran Mets players who stated it is common for players to keep their distance while on the injured list. It is also common for injured players to rehab away from the team, especially during road trips. The Mets played eight of their 15 games without Soto on the road, including five on the West Coast.
The losing streak is over, but, at 8-16, the Mets have the worst record in the National League. No team has ever had a 12-game losing streak and rallied to reach the postseason, though the obvious caveat is that there were not three wild card spots for most of baseball history.
The Philadelphia Phillies now have baseball’s longest losing streak at eight games. They lost to the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday (CHC 7, PHI 2) and, like the NL East rival Mets, are 8-16 on the young season.
