The Mets (7-15) will carry an unfathomable 11- (ELEVEN!) game losing streak into their series against the Twins (11-11). When the Mets take the field at 7:10 PM EDT on Tuesday, they will have gone two weeks since experiencing their last victory, a game they won in walk-off fashion on a Ronny Mauricio hit in their series (and homestand) opener against the Diamondbacks. The Mets dropped two of three in Minnesota when they visited Target Field last season. The last time these two teams squared off at Citi
Field (July 2024), the Mets took two out of three.
There’s no point rehashing every detail of the team’s weekend series against the Cubs, which ended with New York losing all three games and suffering their ninth, tenth, and eleventh consecutive losses. Kodai Senga had another awful start on Friday as the Mets were embarrassed 12-4; a Carson Kelly pinch hit, three-run home run against Brooks Raley upended an otherwise decent Freddy Peralta start and resulted in a 4-2 loss; the Mets carried a 1-0 lead into the ninth, but Devin Williams blew his first save as a Met thanks to a Michael Conforto game-tying double, and the team fell 2-1 on a walk-off sacrifice fly in the tenth.
What has gone right for the Mets over the past 11 days? Well, not much. As a team, they rank dead last in wRC+ (51), OBP (.239), SLG (.289), OPS (.528), runs scored (19), and fWAR (-1.1). Amazingly, their seven home runs in that stretch ranks 28th, and their .200 team batting average ranks 27th. Carried by Nolan McLean and Clay Holmes, their rotation has posted a 5.43 ERA, which is 24th in MLB, while their bullpen’s 6.05 ERA is 27th in baseball. To put it mildly, they’ve been bad in all facets of the game.
Mark Vientos ended an 0-for-23 during the stretch, with Brett Baty finally ending an 0-for-22, but both have really struggled. Vientos has 2 hits in 30 at-bats during the team’s losing streak, posting a -44 wRC+ and a -0.5 fWAR. Baty, meanwhile, is 4-for-29 with a -9 wRC+ and a -0.4 fWAR. It’s not much better for another youngster, Carson Benge, who is 6-for-30 during the losing streak, with a 41 wRC+ and a -0.1 bWAR.
The veterans haven’t been that much better. Luis Robert Jr., who got off to a hot start this year, is 8-for-38 with a 68 wRC+ and a -0.1 fWAR since the team’s last win. Similarly, Marcus Semien is 9-for-38 with a 56 wRC+ and a -0.1 fWAR. Bo Bichette is a little better, going 10-for-42 with a 80 wRC+ and a 0.0 fWAR. Tommy Pham, who debuted during the team’s losing streak, is hitless in eight at-bats and has a -100 wRC+ and a -0.2 fWAR. The only two players with a positive fWAR during this stretch are MJ Melendez (0.2) and Francisco Alvarez (0.2). It’s bad, folks.
The Twins are also looking to end a losing streak, albeit not one as long or as pronounced as the Mets’ streak. Minnesota enters this series as losers of four straight after getting swept by the Reds at home and dropping their series finale against the Red Sox prior to that. In their series finale against the Reds, they blew a lead in the ninth, briefly tied it up back up in the bottom of the frame, but were bested in ten innings to fall back to .500 on the season. The Twins find themselves in third in the AL Central race, trailing the Guardians and the Tigers.
The Twins have gotten a strong start to the season from outfielder Austin Martin, who arrived from Toronto as part of the José Berríos along with Simeon Woods Richardson, who was once in the Mets’ system and is set to face the Mets on Wednesday. The 27-year-old Martin is hitting .311/.484/.444 with a team-best 174 wRC+ and 0.7 fWAR in 20 games. They’ve also gotten a strong start from outfielder Trevor Larnach, whom they drafted in the first round of the 2018 MLB Draft. The 29-year-old is hitting .265/.468/.412 with a 160 wRC+ and a 0.4 fWAR in 16 games. Veteran Josh Bell has also enjoyed success with Minnesota this year, leading the club with three home runs, 17 runs scored, and 15 runs batted in while hitting .263/.352/.447 with a 127 wRC+ and a 0.3 fWAR in a team-leading 22 games played.
Tuesday, April 21: Nolan McLean vs. Simeon Woods Richardson, 7:10 PM EDT on SNY
McLean (2026): 23.2 IP, 28 K, 8 BB, 1 HR, 2.28 ERA, 2.45 FIP, 59 ERA-
Just about the one thing that has gone right for New York this year is McLean’s progression from his big league debut last year. The team had high hopes for their young ace, and he has delivered in the early part of this season, when nothing else has gone the way the team planned. McLean is coming off a dominant start in Los Angeles, hurling seven innings of one-run ball against a potent Dodgers’ lineup. He allowed one earned run on two hits over seven innings and struck out eight for the third time in four starts. Despite allowing three earned runs over 13 1/3 innings in his last two starts, the Mets have lost both games, scoring just two runs combined across the two games. The natural successor for Jacob deGrom has emerged.
Woods Richardson (2026): 20.2 IP, 11 K, 7 BB, 4 HR, 6.10 ERA, 5.59 FIP, 143 ERA-
Since getting drafted by the Mets in the second round of the 2018 MLB Draft, Woods Richardson went to Toronto for Marcus Stroman, and then to Minnesota for Berríos. After making just one appearance in 2022 and one in 2023, he became a steady member of the team’s rotation in 2024 and 2025, making 28 starts and 22 starts, respectively, and posting a 2.0+ bWAR in each season. He’s gotten off to a rocky start in 2026, picking up a loss in three of his four starts. His last time out, he was tagged for seven runs (six earned) on ten hits over five innings in a loss to the Red Sox. In his previous start, he allowed five earned runs on six hits over four innings in a loss to the Blue Jays. He faced his old club once, back in 2024, and was treated quite rudely, allowing six earned runs on seven hits over 3 1/3 innings pitched.
Wednesday, April 22: Clay Holmes vs. TBD, 7:10 PM EDT on SNY
Holmes (2026): 23.0 IP, 16 K, 9 BB, 2 HR, 1.96 ERA, 4.17 FIP, 51 ERA-
Holmes has had a strong start to his season, picking up where he left off last year in his first full season as a starter. Through four starts, Holmes is tied for third among qualified NL starting pitchers with a 1.96 ERA. Despite the solid results, he has picked up the loss in each of his last two starts. Against the Dodgers, he went five innings, allowing two earned runs on four hits, with four strikeouts and one walk. Those results, most times, are good enough against the Dodgers, but the Mets once again struggled to score, and L.A. broke it open late against the bullpen which cemented their loss.
TBD
Mick Abel was originally slated to pitch on Tuesday, with Simeon Woods Richardson going on Wednesday. When Abel landed on the injured list, Minnesota moved Woods Richardson up to Tuesday, and they have not yet named a replacement for Abel’s rotation spot on Wednesday.
Thursday, April 23: Kodai Senga vs. Joe Ryan, 7:10 PM EDT on SNY
Senga (2026): 17.1 IP, 22 K, 10 BB, 4 HR, 8.86 ERA, 5.32 FIP, 230 ERA-
It bears mentioning that Senga isn’t technically confirmed to start on Thursday, but he remains the most likely option (either as the starter or the bulk guy behind an opener). Senga had his second straight disastrous, non-competitive outing, which put his spot in the rotation in doubt. Despite that, Carlos Mendoza seemed to suggest that his spot is safe, for now. It’s hard to feel optimistic after he had a second straight outing in which he allowed seven runs. His final line was not quite as bad as his one against the A’s, but it was still not great: he ended up allowing seven runs (six earned) on six hits, with three strikeouts and two walks over 3 1/3 innings. Over his last 5 2/3 innings, he’s allowed 14 runs (13 earned) and he has managed just six strikeouts. It’s a far cry from his first two starts, when he allowed four earned runs on nine hits over 11 2/3 frames.
Ryan (2026): 27.1 IP, 28 K, 6 BB, 1 HR, 3.29 ERA, 2.43 FIP, 77 ERA-
Ryan is coming off a 2025 All-Star season where he posted a career-best 4.6 bWAR. Ryan has had a solid start to his season and his coming off his two best starts of 2026. On April 11, he pitched seven innings of two-run ball against the Blue Jays, allowing two hits and walking one while striking out five. He followed that up with a hard-luck loss against the Red Sox, going six innings and allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits.
