Mets losing streak hits 4 as Athletics rout New York 11-6

The NY Mets have dropped 4 straight games after an 11-6 loss to the Athletics on Saturday afternoon at Citi Field, falling to 7-8 on the season. The damage was done early, the offense chipped away at a deficit that kept growing, and by the time the final out was recorded the margin felt like a foregone conclusion for most of the afternoon.

Kodai Senga lasted 2.1 innings, surrendering 8 hits and 7 earned runs while walking 2 and striking out 3. He allowed 2 home runs and never settled into any kind of rhythm. The third inning was the death blow: a Shea Langeliers double, a passed ball by Francisco Alvarez that moved Langeliers to third, a two-run home run by Tyler Soderstrom, and then a 3-run shot by Carlos Cortes that cleared the bases and made it 7-1. Senga was pulled after that, and Huascar Brazobán came in to stop the bleeding — which he did, putting up 2.2 scoreless innings with 3 strikeouts and keeping the Mets within striking distance for a while longer.

A rally that almost meant something

The Mets did not go quietly. Bo Bichette launched a 2-run home run in the fifth to make it 7-3, then Francisco Alvarez led off the sixth with a solo shot — one that required an umpire review before being upheld — to cut it to 7-4. Carson Benge drew a walk, Marcus Semien singled him to third, and Brett Baty — entering as a pinch hitter — plated Benge on a sacrifice fly to make it 7-5. Jorge Polanco then led off the seventh with his first home run as a Met to pull the Mets within one at 7-6.

That’s where it ended for the comeback. Luke Weaver entered in the eighth and turned a one-run game into a five-run deficit in a matter of minutes. Shea Langeliers singled in a run, and then Tyler Soderstrom — who already had a home run on the day — put it out of reach with a 3-run shot to right center. It was 11-6 before the Mets even came to bat in the bottom half of the inning, and that’s where the final stayed.

Bichette was the offensive bright spot, going 2-for-3 with 2 walks, 3 RBI, and the Mets’ only multi-extra-base hit performance of the night. Francisco Lindor went 1-for-5 with 2 strikeouts and his average now sits at .167. Luis Robert Jr. was quiet at the plate but worked a walk. Mark Vientos and Tyrone Taylor combined for 1 hit in 7 at-bats. Brooks Raley, Luis García, and Craig Kimbrel each logged clean innings out of the pen, but there was nothing left to salvage by then.

Four losses in a row with Senga now sitting at 0-2 with a 7.07 ERA through his first 3 starts. The rotation’s ability to give this offense a chance to work is going to be the defining question of the next few weeks — and right now, the answers aren’t encouraging.