​NEW YORK — Tuesday night at Citi Field featured a spectacle of leaky defense and shaky pitching in a clash between two teams that have struggled this season. The game opened with a chaotic sequence in the bottom of the first inning, as the New York Mets faced the Kansas City Royals. Carson Benge slapped a looped infield single back to pitcher Seth Lugo with two runners on, and the misplays began to mount. Lugo sent the ball past Jac Caglianone into foul territory, allowing AJ Ewing to dash home for the first run of the night. The miscue set the tone for a wild innings-long struggle.
The trouble continued when Bo Bichette scored after Caglianone badly misthrew a ball over Carter Jensen’s head. Third baseman Nick Loftin gathered the miscue and flung the ball past Jensen, letting Benge cross the plate and completing what felt like a Little League calamity: an embarrassing three-error sequence that helped kickstart a seven-run rally for the Royals in a game the Mets would eventually lose by four. The scoreline read 16-12, a total that reflected the Royals’ seven-run seventh inning, which turned a stubborn Mets lead into a dramatic comeback and gave Kansas City the first win of the three-game set.
Even amid the chaos, New York’s offense offered flashes of life. The Mets produced four extra-base hits, including home runs from Juan Soto and AJ Ewing—Ewing recording his first career four-hit game. Jorge Polanco added an RBI double in the seventh, even as the crowd peppered the stands with “Pete Alonso” chants, a pointed commentary on the ongoing roster decisions under David Stearns that have allowed the core of the prior era to depart. Yet the scoreboard told the harsher truth: the pitching was untenable.
Senga, summoned from the bullpen after Cionel Pérez opened the game with a clean first inning, surrendered four runs on five hits across three innings, lifting his season ERA to a troubling 8.92. Austin Warren took the fall in the fifth, charged with five runs on four hits without recording an out. In the seventh, Matt Seelinger faced his major league debut and allowed all seven runs that crossed the plate. The Royals battered Mets pitchers with little resistance, and Tyler Tolbert stood out with five hits, tying an MLB record for consecutive hits in as many at-bats, reaching 12 straight after a 12-for-12 run.
The Mets’ season has been dominated by struggles, and as losses mount, the discussions around the trade deadline are likely to intensify. With Wednesday on the horizon, New York will try to reverse course as they send Christian Scott to the mound, hoping a more composed effort can stem the tide and provide a platform to rebound from this rough stretch. The game served as a stark reminder of the challenges the Mets face, from fielding miscues to pitching blow-ups, and underscored the urgency of making moves to recalibrate a roster that has left fans longing for the spark of their former core.