New York Mets Beat Minnesota Twins 3-2 To Snap 12-Game Losing Streak

Being a baseball fan is basically a daily exercise in pain management. But being a fan of the New York Mets over the last two weeks? That has required a master’s degree in advanced human suffering.

Twelve consecutive losses. A full dozen games filled with blown leads, silent bats, and the kind of ugly baserunning that makes you want to unplug your television and throw it into the East River. But finally, mercifully, the bleeding has stopped. The Mets narrowly edged out the Minnesota Twins 3-2 at Citi Field on Wednesday night, putting an end to their most agonizing stretch of baseball since the dark days of 2002.

How the Mets Escaped the Minnesota Twins

If you wanted a microcosm of the current Mets experience, you got it on Wednesday night. Let’s talk about Mark Vientos. In the sixth inning, he ran right through a third-base coach’s stop sign and got thrown out at the plate by an entirely different zip code. It was a brutal sequence. You could practically hear the collective groan of the fanbase.

But baseball is a weird, beautiful game of redemption. Fast forward to the bottom of the eighth. Two outs, nobody on base. Brett Baty and Francisco Alvarez draw back-to-back walks to keep the inning alive. Up steps Vientos, seeking a little forgiveness. He promptly lofts a clutch bloop single into right field to score Baty, giving New York the lead.

It wasn’t the hardest-hit ball you’ll ever see, but for a team that hasn’t tasted a victory since April 7, it might as well have been a walk-off blast in the playoffs. Luke Weaver then came in, slammed the door shut, and struck out Byron Buxton to let everyone in Queens finally exhale.

A Costly Night: The Francisco Lindor Injury

Of course, the baseball gods always demand a toll. You didn’t actually think the Mets were going to have a purely happy night without a catch, did you? Just as the team welcomed superstar Juan Soto back to the lineup after a brutal 15-game stint on the injured list with a right calf strain, the universe pulled a cruel bait-and-switch.

Francisco Lindor, the heartbeat of this infield, exited the game with tightness in his left calf. Lindor managed to bust his tail and beat the throw home to give New York a 2-1 lead in the fourth inning, but he was noticeably slow to get up. Watching him gingerly walk back to the dugout took every ounce of energy out of the stadium. You get Soto back, you lose Lindor. It is the ultimate monkey’s paw scenario.

Where the New York Mets Go From Here

Let’s not throw a parade down the Canyon of Heroes just yet. The Mets are currently sitting at an ugly 8-16. They still have a massive mountain to climb if they want to drag themselves back into the postseason conversation this year.

But for one night, the clubhouse gets to turn the music up. The postgame spread will actually taste good for a change. The dark, heavy cloud hovering over Flushing has temporarily parted. Now, the team just has to hold its breath, wait for the medical staff’s report on Lindor’s calf, and figure out how to do the hardest thing in sports: win two games in a row.

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