Mets squeak past Twins to put an end to brutal 12-game skid — but lose Francisco Lindor to injury

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Mets squeak past Twins to put an end to brutal 12-game skid — but lose Francisco Lindor to injury

An image collage containing 2 images, Image 1 shows Mark Vientos hits the game-winning single in the eighth inning of the Mets' 3-2 win over the Twins on April 22, 2026 at Citi Field, Image 2 shows Luke Weaver pumps his fist during his scoreless ninth inning in the Mets' win over the Twins

Dan Martin · NY Post Sports

Thu, Apr 23, 2026 ·

4 min read

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The Mets prevented an unlucky 13 on Wednesday, but it still came at a cost.

They finally snapped a 12-game losing streak with a 3-2 win over the Twins at Citi Field.

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Francisco Lindor , though, left the game with left calf tightness the same night they got Juan Soto back from a strained right calf.

Still, the Mets will take the victory, ending their longest losing streak since 2002.

Despite blowing a pair of leads and making some ugly baserunning mistakes, the Mets got a run-scoring bloop single to right by Mark Vientos to score Lindor’s replacement — Brett Baty — for the go-ahead run in the bottom of the eighth.

Luke Weaver got the final four outs to seal the win, striking out Byron Buxton to end it.

“It’s a sigh of relief,’’ Weaver said. “There’s a lot more games to play. Today was a great step in the right direction and it was gonna take a game like that to get us going.”

The right-hander has a point, if the first few weeks of the season are any indication.

The winning rally began with two outs and no one on in the eighth, as Baty and Francisco Alvarez walked before Vientos — who was thrown out by a mile after running through a stop sign to end the sixth — came up with a clutch hit.

The victory, their first since April 7, moved the Mets to 8-16, but was clouded by the Lindor injury concern.

The shortstop was removed after scoring from first base on Alvarez’s double to the gap in right-center in the bottom of the fourth.

Mark Vientos hits the game-winning single in the eighth inning of the Mets’ 3-2 win over the Twins on April 22, 2026 at Citi Field. Robert Sabo for New York Post

He managed to just beat the throw home to give the Mets a 2-1 lead, but was slow rounding the bases and remained down at home plate momentarily before he got to his feet and returned to the dugout.

Lindor was removed prior to the top of the fifth, with Baty entering to play third base and Bo Bichette moving from third to shortstop.

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The latest injury worry — as Lindor is set to get an MRI on Thursday — occurred just as the Mets got Soto back after the star was sidelined for 15 games with the calf injury he suffered while running the bases in San Francisco on April 3.

The Mets offense was nonexistent without Soto. They’d hoped the return of the $765 million star would turn their fortunes around — and Soto hit several balls hard Wednesday — but missing Lindor for any extent of time would also hurt.

Luke Weaver pumps his fist during his scoreless ninth inning in the Mets’ win over the Twins. Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Before he got hurt, Lindor had an RBI infield single in the first that gave the Mets an early lead after Bichette’s leadoff double.

The Twins tied the game in the fourth with a double down the right field line by Trevor Larnach to open the inning. Larnach advanced to third on a Josh Bell groundout and scored on a sacrifice fly by Victor Caratini .

The Mets went up again when Lindor came home on Alvarez’s double, but Clay Holmes couldn’t hold the lead, as he allowed a homer to Buxton — his second in as many nights — to start the sixth.

Vientos drew a two-out walk in the bottom of the inning, and Marcus Semien doubled to the wall in left.

Juan Soto rips a single during the eighth inning of the Mets’ win over the Twins. Robert Sabo for New York Post

Third base coach Tim Leiper clearly — desperately — tried to stop Vientos from heading home, but Vientos raced through the stop sign and was thrown out easily to end the inning.

It stayed that way in the top of the eighth, even after Brooks Raley and Weaver loaded the bases, as Weaver got Luke Keaschall to pop out.

In the bottom of the inning, Soto led off with a single but was caught stealing for the second out before the Mets took the lead for good on Vientos’ hit and Weaver closed it.

Clay Holmes, throwing in the first inning, allowed two runs over seven innings in the Mets’ win over the Twins. Robert Sabo for New York Post

“It’s not very often you have such a talented team where everything doesn’t click in the right way,’’ Weaver said. “It’s quite an impossible feat, but we made it possible.”

That may as well be their slogan, since no team has ever lost 12 straight games and reached the postseason.

Perhaps this win will get them going.

“Now we can concentrate on just playing baseball and not about the losing streak,’’ Carlos Mendoza said.

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