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MLB News & Moments: Mets Reach 12 Straight Losses

The worst team money could buy?

Pablo Figueroa
MLB Morning News 5 Hours Ago

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Today marks exactly four weeks since the season started on that weird Yankees-Giants Netflix broadcast, and it is fair to say that preseason prognosticators are having a bad time defending their positions. Slow starts are part of the game, but it is still shocking to see several presumed contenders so far down the standings.

Teams like the Mariners, Blue Jays, Red Sox, and Astros, not to mention the scuffling Phillies and Mets, are not only below .500, they are well below .500 and will need a serious turnaround if they are to justify their preseason status as contenders. If this does not happen, we shall be able to see a renewed playoff field, which is always refreshing and proof that baseball remains the king of sports.

 

Today’s Headlines

 

Dirty Dozen

In a game that served as a rollercoaster of emotions for Mets fandom, the beleaguered squad took its 12th straight loss in devastating fashion. It all began with the team receiving a cold reception from their fans, still reeling from a rough road trip and the 11-game losing streak that emerged from it. However, Nolan McLean appeared on a mission to carry the Mets, starting his performance with five hitless innings and seven strikeouts, while a clutch three-run homer from Francisco Lindor in the third had turned the boos into cheers at Citi Field. In true Mets fashion, it all went south in a hurry. McLean allowed a two-run blast to Byron Buxton in the sixth and then saw the tying run score in the seventh. With the offense going cold, the game remained tied until the ninth, as erstwhile star closer Devin Williams had yet another blowup, failing to record a single out while allowing three walks and a hit, as two Twins crossed the plate to give Minnesota the 5-3 win. Even with Juan Soto reported to return today, things have gone from bleak to outright depressing in Queens.

Beat LA

The pairing of Yoshinobu Yamamoto and San Francisco’s offense looked like a tremendous mismatch on paper. For most of the night, it was, as Yamamoto allowed only two hits and a walk from the second to the seventh inning. Alas, that came after the Giants had an uncharacteristic rally in the first, tagging the World Series MVP for four hits, a walk, and three runs, giving San Francisco an early 3-0 lead. Even as they would not score again and could not get an extra-base hit throughout the game, the Giants pitching was clutch and kept the Dodgers at bay. Landen Roupp earned his fourth win of the season with a bizarre pitching line that included only one hit allowed through five innings,  but also five walks and seven strikeouts. San Francisco deployed five relievers to secure the win, but the team’s patented #torture was not necessary, as closer Ryan Walker struck out Alex Freeland to keep Shohei Ohtani from reaching the plate as the potential tying run. The 3-1 final score gave Yamamoto his first loss of 2026.

Giancarlo, the Real Monster

In the first meeting of the season for the classic Yankees-Red Sox rivalry, New York took round one with relative ease, cruising to a 4-0 win behind strong pitching and timely hitting from Giancarlo Stanton. The hulking DH started the scoring with a solo blast in the second and then delivered the final blow with a two-run double in the sixth. As the Yankees tallied ten hits and four walks and had plenty of opportunities to open a huge lead, it was not really necessary against the feeble Boston offense, as the Sox could only muster four hits and three walks against starter Luis Gil and three Yankee relievers. Gil was not dominant, striking out only two batters, but he induced plenty of soft contact and Boston went 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position. This was the fifth time over their past seven games in which the Red Sox scored two or fewer runs.

Not Phillin’ It

While the Mets’ freefall has most of the baseball world’s attention, the Phillies are also doing their best to create schadenfreude of their own. Philadelphia is now on a seven-game skid, falling 7-4 at Wrigley Field even as the score is a bit misleading. The Cubs opened a 6-1 lead before the Phils mounted a late-inning response, making the most of a Nico Hoerner solo homer and the first blast of the season for Seiya Suzuki. The Cubs were only 2-for-14 with runners in scoring position, but had a relentless attack that amassed 12 hits and 10 walks, even scoring their first run via a bases-loaded free pass. Shota Imanaga was masterful with seven innings of one-run ball, all done in an efficient 87 pitches that yielded only one strikeout. The Phils now own the second-worst record in the NL, only a game above the Mets.

Rough Seas

The Mariners continue to struggle in 2026, as they lost for the second straight night to the A’s. Despite having an edge, at least on paper, in a pitching matchup of Luis Castillo vs Jacob Lopez, Seattle’s offense was never able to mount a rally, being limited to seven singles and a Cal Raleigh solo homer. Despite only striking out five times, the M’s offensive inconsistency was evident again, while the A’s had 13 hits and homers from Jeff McNeil and Shea Langeliers, as they won 5-2. Jack Perkins earned his first save of the season by hurling two perfect innings, and Seattle is now well below .500, fighting at the cellar of the NL West with the similarly disappointing Astros.

 

By The Numbers

 

4 Munetaka Murakami hit his ninth homer of the season, and did it for the fourth straight game. He joins Shohei Ohtani and Seiya Suzuki as the only Japanese-born players to achieve this feat.

5 Cincinnati star Elly De La Cruz hit his fifth homer batting right-handed this season, which is the same number he had in all of 2025. Last season, he did it in 199 at-bats, while only needing 28 this time around.

12 The Padres defeated the Rockies 1-0 at Coors Field, marking only the 12th time in the stadium’s history that a single run was scored. San Diego became the first visiting team since 2006 to deliver such a win in Denver.

53 Shohei Ohtani extended his on-base streak, which dates back to last season, to 53 games. He has now tied Shawn Green for the second-longest mark in franchise history, and will try to match Duke Snider, who reached in 58 straight during the 1954 season.

 

Best Moments From Yesterday

 

Mid-Air Magic

While the Reds started the day atop the NL Central, their negative run differential sparked some questions regarding their true potential. After today’s commanding 12-6 win over the Rays, their ledger is finally in the green, as Elly de la Cruz drove in five runs and Chase Burns earned his second win of the season. The most impressive moment may have come on a routine groundout, though, as de la Cruz hit a firm grounder to first with the infield pulled in, as Dane Myers ran on contact from third. Looking like a dead duck as Tampa Bay’s catcher secured the ball with all the advantage, Myers somehow contorted his body mid-air to avoid the tag and touch home plate, scoring Cincinnati’s seventh run and giving his teammate an unexpected RBI in the process.

A Beautiful Day for a Knuckler

Through most of the day, Tigers-Brewers was a close game between two contenders, as Keider Montero and Kyle Harrison had good starts, as Milwaukee led 3-1 through six innings. It all unraveled from there for Detroit, as relievers Enmanuel de Jesus and Connor Seabold combined to allow nine runs between the seventh and eighth frames. Facing a heavy 12-1 deficit, manager AJ Hinch had the presence of mind to allow a position player to close out the game, and Jake Rogers delivered in style. Rogers was not only the best arm on this day for the Tigers, but he had the audacity of throwing a knuckleball to Joey Ortiz, earning a strikeout in the process, as he would complete a scoreless ninth despite allowing two hits. This marked the sixth career pitching appearance for Rogers, who now owns a respectable 4.76 ERA and can boast of his first-ever K.

Ninth Time’s the Charm

Entering Tuesday’s action on an eight-game losing streak, the Royals were going through it. Monday’s brutal extra-innings loss seemingly carried over to the next day, as Kansas City fell into an early hole and then blew a late lead, as a Baltimore homer in the eighth gave the Orioles a 5-4 advantage. However, the Royals persevered to tie it in the bottom half, and then finally had some good fortune in the ninth. After closer Ryan Helsley started the inning with two straight walks, the Royals caught their first break after Vinnie Pasquantino struck out but the runners were able to advance on a wild-pitch strike three. To stay in character, Helsley had two strikes on Salvador Perez, but another wild pitch saw Maikel Garcia sprint for home as Kansas City walked off in improbable fashion with a 6-5 final score.

Climbing the Wall

Despite already being the player of the game, Giancarlo Stanton had the chance of adding an extra-base hit to his ledger in the eighth inning, as he hit a deep ball to center field. That was prevented by an understated Bo Jackson tribute from Ceddanne Rafaela. With his back to the plate and the ball falling fast, Rafaela snagged the ball and then used the wall to retain his balance, turning the threat into the first out of the inning. Not much went right for Boston in this game, but at least they had this web gem.

 

Injuries and Other Moves

 

⚾ The Mets announced that Juan Soto is likely to be activated from the IL later today, forgoing a rehab assignment. Soto’s return is highly anticipated, especially after the team has fallen off a cliff in his absence. New York’s outfield has been a mess without Soto, and the hope is that he can build on his good start to 2026, as he owns a .928 OPS so far. 

⚾ Atlanta has placed closer Raisel Iglesias on the 15-day IL due to shoulder inflammation, an injury that was initially described as a product of Iglesias “sleeping on his shoulder wrong” by manager Walt Weiss. While the injury appears mild, having Robert Suarez as a backup to close should help Atlanta overcome the short-term absence. 

⚾ Two notable players on the Pirates-Rangers series are facing injury uncertainty, as Pittsburgh’s Brandon Lowe was left off the lineup due to left knee discomfort and Texas’ Wyatt Langford was removed from the contest with right forearm tightness. Their status is listed as day-to-day, but they warrant close attention regarding their availability.

 

Articles You Should Read

 

Munetaka Murakami, as Advertised — Ben Clemens, Fangraphs

The Historical Context of Mason Miller’s Scoreless Streak — Brian Murphy, MLB.com

 

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Pablo Figueroa

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Pablo Figueroa is a Baseball Writer here at Pitcher List, with experience as a writer since 2013. He lives in Aguascalientes, Mexico - proud home of Los Rieleros. When he´s not thinking about baseball , he's a husband, owns two dogs, watches random episodes of The Sopranos , plays padel, and works on his day job to pay the bills.

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