Mets’ losing streak hits 10 with New York off to its worst start in 43 years

Steven Cohen is finding out the hard way that building a good baseball team isn’t just about spending money. Cohen’s New York Mets lost their 10th straight game Saturday afternoon at Wrigley Field (CHC 4, NYM 2) to fall to 7-14. They have the worst record in baseball and the 7-14 start is the worst since a 6-15 start in 1983. The Mets went 68-94 that year.

The Mets and Chicago Cubs were tied 1-1 heading into the sixth inning on Saturday. Mets ace Freddy Peralta got two quick outs to start the sixth, then walked Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki after counting two strikes. Lefty Brooks Raley came in to face Moises Ballesteros, who was lifted for Carson Kelly to gain the right-versus-left platoon advantage.

And because things are going terribly for the Mets, Kelly hits a three-run home run on Raley’s first pitch. To the action sequences:

The Mets had a chance to get back into the game in the eighth inning thanks to a pair of infield singles and some sloppy Cubs defense. Mark Vientos grounded out to third base to strand two runners, and the Mets lost 1-2-3 in the ninth inning to left-hander Caleb Thielbar.

As is often the case during long losing streaks, the Mets have been losing games all over the place lately. They lost because their attack was calm. They lost because their starting pitcher was ineffective. They lost because their bullpen gave up. If it can go bad, it’s going bad for the Mets right now. It got very ugly.

This slow start comes after last year’s stunning collapse. The Mets had the best record in baseball with a 45-24 record on June 12, 2025. They then lost seven straight games and went 38-55 for the rest of the season. It was the fifth-worst record in baseball, and it cost the Mets a playoff spot. (The Cincinnati Reds were awarded the third wild card spot in a tiebreaker.)

Sure, the losing streak is on the players, but one has to wonder about manager Carlos Mendoza’s job security at this point. He’s in the final year of his contract and it wasn’t a chance he was coming back after last year’s collapse. The Mets have a holiday Monday. Another defeat on Sunday, and Mendoza could be the scapegoat.

The 10-game losing streak is New York’s longest since an 11-game streak from Aug. 28 to Sept. 8, 2004. The Mets went 71-91 that year. Since that 45-24 start last year, the Mets are 45-69, which is a pace of 98 losses in 162 games. Only four teams have recorded more defeats since that date.

As for the Cubs, Saturday’s victory was their fourth in a row and improved their record to 11-9. Every team in the NL Central currently has a winning record.

New York’s payroll of $370 million is the second highest in baseball behind the Los Angeles Dodgers ($397 million).