The 12-game losing streak, the team’s longest since 2002, was finally over. But the malaise continues for another supposed National League East contender. Philadelphia now holds the longest active losing streak in Major League Baseball, with the skid reaching nine games on Wednesday.

The Phillies now have an abysmal 8-17 record and have a minus-50 run differential, by far the worst mark in MLB. The Phillies share the dubious distinction of sharing the worst record in baseball with the Royals (8-17), a team many expected to contend for an AL Central title. Meanwhile, things haven’t started much better for the Boston Red Sox, who are 9-15; or the defending AL champion Toronto Blue Jays, who are 10-14; or the Houston Astros, who are 10-16 and in last place in the AL West; or the Mariners, who are 11-15 after coming one game away from reaching the World Series last year.

So, what exactly is going on with the slow starts for these playoff hopefuls? And what hope do they have of turning things around the rest of the way? Let’s dig in.

New York Mets (8-16, 4th in NL East) Preseason playoff odds (FanGraphs): 79.5% Current playoff odds: 42.3% Biggest issue: The offense Mets pitchers had a 5.64 ERA during the losing streak, starters Kodai Senga and David Peterson are a combined 0-6 with a 6.86 ERA this year and uncharacteristic defensive lapses from veteran Francisco Lindor haven’t helped matters, but the lack of hitting from a team with the second-highest payroll in the sport has been the biggest culprit for the team’s downturn. The Mets have scored the fewest runs and logged the lowest on-base percentage in the sport, and they have the worst slugging percentage in the National League.

Among the nine Mets players with at least 50 plate appearances this year, Francisco Alvarez is the only one hitting above league average. That’s not what president of baseball operations David Stearns expected when he paid top dollar to reshape the roster this winter. Speaking of….

Another problem: The new guys Bo Bichette, who just signed a three-year, $126 million deal to bring offense and bat-to-ball skills to the hot corner in Queens, has a .545 OPS. Jorge Polanco, who played a vital role in helping the Mariners reach the ALCS for the first time in 24 years last season, has a .532 OPS and is already on the injured list. Marcus Semien, who was already showing offensive decline the last two years in Texas, has a .600 OPS.

If that wasn’t bad enough, the player Semien was traded for, Brandon Nimmo, is now leading the Rangers in hits and on-base percentage. The Mets called up prospect Carson Benge to start in the outfield, and he has the second-lowest wRC+ among all qualified MLB hitters this year. Luis Robert Jr. has looked the best of the team’s newcomers, but his .666 OPS is still below league average and hardly enough to make up for the club’s many offensive shortcomings.

Making matters worse, the club’s new closer, Devin Williams, is 0-1 with a 9.95 ERA. His "airbender" changeup has gotten hit troublingly hard — opponents are batting .467 against the pitch. Williams had a chance to end the Mets’ skid four days ago, but he blew a 1-0 lead in the ninth inning against the Cubs.

His next time out, he suffered the loss Tuesday night when the Twins jumped on him in a tie game in the ninth. When the Mets finally snapped the losing streak Wednesday, it was Weaver who was called upon for the save. What hope is there: Juan Soto is back.

The Mets were 4-4 and had a .705 team OPS when Soto suffered a calf injury on April 3. In the nearly three weeks without him, the offense tallied a .566 OPS, by far the worst in baseball during that stretch. Soto returned, and the losing streak was immediately snapped.

They’re now 5-4 when he’s in the lineup. The problem? They also lost Lindor to a calf issue in Tuesday’s win. He’s due for an MRI at a time when the Mets badly need their offensive stars to get on a roll.

Philadelphia Phillies (8-17, 5th in NL East) Preseason playoff odds (FanGraphs): 68.3% Current playoff odds: 37.1% Biggest issue: Lineup depth Kyle Schwarber has eight home runs, tied for the fifth-most in MLB. Bryce Harper has an .861 OPS and is hitting 35% better than league average, right in line with his norms. Behind the team’s top two sluggers, though, it’s bleak.

The right-handed hitters in the lineup have a combined .584 OPS, tied for the worst mark in MLB. Relatedly, as a team the Phillies rank last in every slash line category against left-handed pitchers (.178/.264/.282). Overall, the Phillies are 29th in batting average, 28th in on-base percentage and runs scored