The Mets are assured a fifth straight losing season after splitting a doubleheader Saturday with the Marlins, getting shut out 3-0 before winning 3-1 in the nightcap behind a terrific outing by Daisuke Matsuzaka.
Matsuzuka, who is trying to salvage what’s left of his season, has shaken off a terrible beginning in Flushing with a pair of terrific outings.
He held Miami to just two hits and a lone run — a fourth-inning solo home run by Justin Ruggiano. Matsuzaka, who has started his Mets career 0-3 with a bloated 10.95 ERA in his first three starts, has gone 1-0 with a sterling 1.42 ERA in his last two.
“This guy competes. He’s competed his entire life in any stage, never gives in,’’ manager Terry Collins said. “What he’s doing now is making pitches. His first couple starts, he was missing, behind in the count, had to come in and guys were doing damage. But now he’s pitching ahead, staying ahead and making them hit his pitch.’’
Matsuzaka walked one and hit two batters, but he threw 65 of his 91 pitches for strikes, including 21 first-pitch strikes. He didn’t allow a hit until Ruggiano’s one-out homer in the fourth. When he faced his first — and last — threat of the day with runners on the corners in the seventh, he struck out Rob Brantley with a 78-mph slider to end the inning and his evening.
“What I was able to do last time and this time was understand which pitches were working that day and not worry too much about mixing it up all the time,” Matsuzuka said. “My fastball and slider I didn’t feel quite right about them so I concentrated on throwing my sinker and my curveball.
“As a pitcher, once you get on the mound the most important thing is to get outs. Not being able to do that, not being able to pitch the way I want was very stressful and it was a hard time for me. The important thing was to accept the situation I’m in, and I was able to that the last two outings.’’
The Mets got an RBI single by Wilmer Flores in the first inning off Jacob Turner (3-7) and consecutive homers from Daniel Murphy and Lucas Duda in the third. It was just the third time all season the Mets hit back-to-back homers.
In Game 1, the Mets clinched a fifth straight losing season.
Carlos Torres (3-5) lost despite allowing just three hits and two runs in six innings. He hit Donovan Solano with pitches in his first two at-bats and surrendered a solo shot to the Marlins second baseman the third time he came up.
Reliever Frank Francisco, hit by a Logan Morrison line drive, suffered a right hand contusion, but X-rays were negative and there was no fracture.
“That’s what I thought, it was broke for sure,’’ Francisco said. “Thank God nothing happened.’’