Apr 12, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; Athletics shortstop Darell Hernaiz (2) throws past New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor (12) attempting to complete a double play in the sixth inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
QUEENS, NY — The Mets’ nightmarish homestand ended with a whimper, as they were shut out for the second time in three games and swept away by the Athletics 1-0 on Sunday afternoon at Citi Field.
New York batters could muster just four, including a stretch between the first and fifth innings that saw 13 straight retired. Athletics starter Aaron Civale stymied the Mets for the first 5.2 innings, allowing all four hits with three strikeouts and zero walks, and four relievers combined to hold the Mets without a hit.
The Mets (7-9) have now lost five straight games, ending their six-game stay in Queens with a paltry 1-5 record. They scored two runs or fewer in four of those defeats — the absence of superstar slugger Juan Soto (strained hamstring) clearly being felt.
“Tough homestand overall offensively,” Manager Carlos Mendoza said. “You come back from that road trip feeling good about the way you’re swinging the bat, you win the first game here, and then you have a hard time scoring from there.”
Their extended struggles saddled starter Freddy Peralta with a hard-luck loss after he fought through a season-high six innings, allowing one run on four hits with six strikeouts and three walks.
Nick Kurtz of the Athletics went down and pulled a low curveball from Peralta in the third inning into the right-field seats for the game’s only run — the reigning AL Rookie of the Year’s first round-tripper of the season.
“I thought he was good,” Mendoza said. “They ran his pitch count up with a lot of foul balls. They put together some really good at-bats, but he still found a way to give us six innings. That breaking ball there, that got too much of the plate for the homer, but I thought he was very good [otherwise].”
Luis Torrens broke the Mets’ base-runner-less streak with a lead-off single in the sixth before a Francisco Lindor single, and Jorge Polanco’s fielder’s choice put runners at the corners with two outs. Pinch-hitter Mark Vientos flew out to end the threat.
“At times chasing, passive, in-between,” Mendoza said. “There’d be a few innings where it’s like non-competitive at-bats… It’s not creating enough traffic to put together a rally.”
While Sean Manaea pitched three perfect innings in relief with four strikeouts, the Mets’ offense posted just a single walk across the final three frames of the afternoon.
Lindor, who entered Sunday batting .167 on the season, went 2-for-4 — the only Met with multiple hits against the Athletics.
It doesn’t get any easier for New York, which travels to Los Angeles to face the two-time-defending-champion Dodgers beginning Monday.
“Overall, this team is really talented, so we’re going to score runs,” Bo Bichette, who went 0-for-4, said. “Overall, everybody just needs to have better at-bats and compete better, and we’ll be alright… Nobody likes losing, that’s the best I can put it. But I think if we got our heads down or worry too much about this, then we got bigger issues.”
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