The Minnesota Twins turned a quiet Tuesday night into another Citi Field gut punch, rallying late for a 5-3 win over the New York Mets and stretching New York's losing streak to 12 games. The slide, which started April 8, has turned a rough patch into a full-blown crisis as the homestand drags on and frustration builds in the stands and the clubhouse.
Keaschall sparks Twins' comeback
Rookie infielder Luke Keaschall was at the center of the late drama, delivering two clutch RBI singles that flipped the script on a game the Mets once led by three. His first knock helped erase the deficit that had ballooned after Francisco Lindor's third-inning homer put New York in control. His second, a chopper that snuck through a drawn-in infield in the ninth, gave Minnesota the lead for good, before Matt Wallner worked a bases-loaded walk to pad the margin.
The comeback, powered by Keaschall and a stingy Twins bullpen that slammed the door in the final innings, was detailed in the Twins' postgame coverage. MLB.com noted that Keaschall factored directly into both the tying rally and the go-ahead surge.
Slump now a season-defining stretch
For the Mets, the loss was not just another L, it was their 12th straight defeat and the franchise's longest skid since August 2002, according to ESPN. National coverage has also underscored how unforgiving that number is: teams that drop a dozen in a row, history reminds everyone, do not tend to end up playing October baseball.
The streak has been defined less by blowouts and more by familiar heartbreak, with repeated late-inning collapses and feeble production with runners in scoring position piling up. Game coverage from CBS Sports/AP has highlighted how often New York has let leads slip away or failed to cash in key chances during this run.
Twins' social jab draws attention
As if the on-field result were not painful enough, the Twins' social media team twisted the knife after the final out. The club posted a wry graphic titled "things you can get in a dozen" that listed eggs, roses and, pointedly, "Mets losses." The jab quickly made the rounds, landing squarely in the feeds of already-salty Mets fans.
ABC7 New York spotlighted the post itself and the timing of the joke, while Bleacher Report noted how quickly the graphic became part of the broader national reaction to the Mets' freefall. The online roasting fit neatly into a growing narrative of late leads squandered and chances wasted during this skid.
Questions for the bullpen and front office
The latest loss again shined a harsh light on the back end of the Mets' bullpen. Devin Williams was tagged with the decisive ninth-inning damage on Tuesday and has stumbled in several recent outings, a trend that has only intensified questions about how New York lines up its late relief. Recaps from CBS Sports/AP have detailed the recurring pattern of games slipping away after the starters depart.
Even as the losses stack up, team officials and players have publicly backed manager Carlos Mendoza. Reporting from ESPN noted that both the front office and the clubhouse have voiced support while at the same time openly acknowledging the urgency of stopping the slide before it defines the entire season.
Up next
The Mets will not have long to stew over number 12. The Twins are right back at Citi Field on Wednesday for an immediate rematch, and for New York, every game now feels like a referendum on whether this is a bad month or the start of a lost year. Local and national outlets will be watching to see if the Mets can finally halt the skid and start rewriting an early-season story that has gone sideways in a hurry.
