NEW YORK MVP chants, loud ones, thundered down tongue-in-cheek from a peeved and restless Citi Field crowd as journeyman reliever Austin Warren bounded his way back to the dugout.It was an odd scene: The anonymous right-hander, the opposite of a household name, a guy with just 10 innings as a New York Met, getting showered with affection from a sparse, frigid, April crowd in a game his club had just bungled away. Warren entered the proceedings in place of star closer Devin Williams, who, with the score knotted at three in the ninth, allowed two runs and failed to record a single out. The unlikely hero then proceeded to strike out three consecutive Minnesota Twins to give the Mets a chance at redemption in the bottom of the frame.In unison, the crowd hollered: AUS-TIN WAR-REN.But not even gallows humor could save the tailspinning Mets, who somehow lost their 12th consecutive ballgame on Tuesday, a gut-churning, 5-3 defeat to Minnesota."It's tough. I don't know, Williams admitted after the game. I've never been a part of something like this.The contest Tuesday began well for the Mets, who, playing at home for the first time in a week, were looking to rebound after an 0-6 roadtrip. Starting pitcher Nolan McLean was brilliant, legitimately perfect through five frames. Fifteen Twins strolled to the dish; all 15 returned to the dugout. Along the way, the rookie righty racked up eight strikeouts. He was supremely locked in, willing and able to end New Yorks skid all by his dang self.Francisco Lindor provided the offensive jolt in the third inning, clocking a cathartic, three-run homer to give New York a much-needed lead. It was just the fourth non-solo shot the Mets have hit all season. After returning to the dugout, Lindor was handed a fluorescent orange hard hat and work vest symbols, it seemed, of the clubs attempt to adopt a workmanlike mindset to endure and overcome their schneid.But that, at least on Tuesday, was not to be.McLeans run at perfection ended with a leadoff single in the sixth. His evening got worse a few batters later, when Team USA WBC teammate Byron Buxton obliterated an elevated 3-1 cutter to trim New Yorks lead to one. That swing sucked any and all optimism out of the confines like a gigantic vibe vacuum. The Twins tied it up the next inning on an RBI single.Over the final four frames, Mets hitters failed to reach base as the clubs fortnight of woe continued in inexplicable fashion.It sucks. It sucks because youre feeling good, especially because of the way the game was developing there, skipper Carlos Mendoza said afterward.Luke Keaschall puts the Twins ahead in the ninth! The Mets are lookin at their 12th straight loss pic.twitter.com/ww52LHIVnu Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) April 22, 2026Mendoza, whose job security has understandably come into question as his club has collected losses like baseball cards, was impressively positive before Tuesdays game. He took responsibility for the teams unsavory streak but remained adamant that better days are ahead. He did not sound like a manager on the hot seat.You continue to trust your ability. You continue to trust your people, he said. My ability to manage and to lead guys. We got no time to start second-guessing ourselves.New Yorks players, too, were more upbeat than you might expect, given the circumstances. Coaches and officials championed the teams process, its work and the quality of its personnel. Owner Steve Cohen insisted he is remaining calm. At least before their latest loss, the Mets did not give off the energy of a club with an 11-game anchor around its neck.The mood around the ballpark was more one of morbid curiosity than righteous rage, with about 15,000 souls the announced paid attendance was a very generous 32,798 rubbernecking a runaway train. The SNY broadcast wafted sage and hung horseshoes and wore necklaces made of garlic. At one point, a fight broke out in the crowd. There were more Bronx Cheers than runs scored.Hope, the real kind, arrives Wednesday in the form of Juan Soto. The superstar slugger has been sidelined due to a calf issue since April 4. The Mets have not won since April 7. In Sotos absence, New York ranks last in most offensive categories.I hope everybody doesn't put all the pressure on him because it would be a little unfair, Lindor said after the game. But I know he's going to help us a ton."Soto should solve many of New Yorks problems. Maybe hell even get a few MVP chants like Warren if he plays well. But the task ahead of Soto and his club is daunting.No team in MLB history that lost 12 games in a row has ever made the postseason.