Laura Albanese: Mets try to stay positive as losing streak hits 10
Mets' Marcus Semien returns to the dugout after striking out during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Cubs on Saturday in Chicago. Credit: AP/Erin Hooley
CHICAGO — Every loss is different — little snowflakes of despair that threaten to bury this Mets team before the season even gets into full swing.
There’s bad hitting, or poor defense, or the occasional rough start, and as their losing streak reached 10 games Saturday afternoon with a 4-2 loss to the Cubs at Wrigley Field, the psychological toll was palpable. The visitors’ clubhouse was silent. Answers were few and far between.
“Just win” is the refrain that’s followed the Mets during this week-and-a-half stretch in which they’ve just lost.
“It’s hard,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “But no one is going to feel sorry for us.”
Freddy Peralta, who took the tough-luck loss, didn’t have his usual smile. “We are professionals,’’ he said, “and we have to make adjustments and play better.”
Peralta walked his last two batters with two outs in the sixth inning in a 1-1 game before Brooks Raley gave up a three-run homer on his first pitch to pinch hitter Carson Kelly.
Marcus Semien preached the gospel of internal resilience.
“This is a big-boy league,” he said. “It’s as simple as showing up tomorrow with a good attitude. That’s how I’m going to approach it as a veteran on this team, and hopefully other guys see the smile on my face when I show up. I understand the game does not owe you a thing. The game does not owe you any wins. We have to go out and get it.”
Semien’s approach is as good as any, especially given that there does seem to be a significant mental aspect to this horrific stretch.
Opposing teams are dictating at-bats as the Mets’ lineup consistently expands the strike zone. Their chase rate is sky-high (32.5%), players aren’t passing the baton and the offense seems to lack an integral sense of cohesiveness. They’ve struggled with injuries and are floundering in Juan Soto’s absence (he’s still on track to return from his calf strain this coming week).
Their quality of contact is suboptimal; their .326 weighted on-base average on balls put in play is second-worst in baseball and they’re “barreling” the ball only 7% of the time, which is fifth worst.
They do hit a lot of line drives, but they often fail to drop in — the sort of lousy baseball luck that follows a team when things are going poorly.
The result? The Mets have scored two or fewer runs in 11 of their 21 games — the most such games by any National League team.
The losing streak has epitomized that: Going into Saturday’s game, the offense had a .202/.239/.284 slash line in its previous nine games. The pitching staff had posted a 6.43 ERA.
Semien said he’s been through stretches like this before, but make no mistake — the Mets are encroaching on new, terrible horizons. Their 7-14 start is tied for third-worst in franchise history, with only the 1962 and 1964 teams beginning their seasons in worse fashion. (Those teams went 40-120 and 53-109, respectively.)
You can retire the idea that it’s “only April,” too.
Losing streaks of 10 games or longer often spell disaster no matter when they happen. ESPN’s Jeff Passan noted that only four teams have lost at least 10 straight games and made the playoffs.
Sure, you could note that one of those instances happened just last year with the 2025 Guardians, but that team also put together a magical September (and, incidentally, a matching 10-game winning streak).
So, where does that leave the Mets and their fan base?
President of baseball operations David Stearns said Friday that he is pleased with the job Mendoza has done, and Mendoza on Saturday said he thinks his coaches are pushing the right buttons.
“The coaches are doing a tremendous job preparing the guys — staying consistent, staying positive and bringing the energy,” he said. “They’re doing everything in their power.”
But “we just haven’t been able to [play] a complete game,” he said. “It’s either the offense, starting pitching — not making a pitch, not making the play, not getting the big hit.”
The thing is, this team has yet to prove it knows how to get itself out of the doldrums. A completely rewritten roster means this is a group of guys that’s still feeling out who they are and how they can work together as a unit.
Mendoza doesn’t believe the team lacks cohesiveness, but the at-bats say otherwise. There’s also the fact that the lineup is populated with short-term rentals — players who are motivated, yes, but also have to deal with the added pressure of winning (or losing) a significant payday.
If you insist on being optimistic, you can say that things will start clicking as time goes on. Realistically, though, things have a way of snowballing, and this is a significant hole to dig out of — particularly if it erodes this team’s confidence.
“Every game has been different,” Semien said. “Looking at this streak, it is what it is. It’s happening. Those are the facts, but nobody is showing up thinking about how it’s going to happen again. We’re thinking about how we’re going to win.”
It’ll happen eventually. The Mets will win again. They just have to hope it’s not too late.
Laura Albanese is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. She's been covering MLB since 2014 after starting at Newsday as an intern seven years earlier.
