Mets' misery continues as historic losing streak extends to 12 with loss to Twins

The tie held until the top of the ninth, when reliever Devin Williams, signed away from the New York Yankees this past offseason, walked two batters, permitted Kody Clemens to reach safely via sac bunt, allowed a run to score on a single, and then walked home another run before being lifted without recording an out. The Mets went one-two-three in the home half of the ninth to cinch their 12th straight defeat.

Earlier in the losing streak, the Mets didn't lead for 66 consecutive innings. Now, though, they've blown back-to-back leads to extend the streak. The struggling Mets offense managed just four hits on Tuesday night despite facing emergency starter Simeon Woods Richardson, who was pressed into duty after the Twins placed Mick Abel on the 15-day injured list with elbow inflammation.

Overall, the current losing streak is now tied for the sixth-longest losing streak in Mets franchise history:

Many of those streaks occurred when the Mets were in their infancy as a franchise and, like most expansion teams, were struggling badly. This present streak, however, stands athwart preseason expectations of contention and perhaps even a division title. It's still April, which means there's plenty of time to flip the script. The historical reality, however, is that no team that's endured a losing streak of 12 games or more has ever made the playoffs.

The most immediate hope for the Mets is that Juan Soto's Wednesday return from a calf injury will give the New York offense the jolt it needs, starting with the second game of the series against the Twins. The Mets' current issues, however, are such that even a player as great as Soto won't be able to fix them.

That will remain the story until the losing streak is over and the win streak reaches one.