Collin McHugh, who started in place of Jon Niese, allowed four runs on six hits over four innings. (Getty Images)
MIAMI — Hook, line and stinker.
If the Mets thought their visit to Marlins Park would mean an easy series victory to bookend a big week, they swallowed the bait dangled by the worst team in baseball.
The lack of hit continues to pile up. With rookie Jose Fernandez throwing darts, the Mets appeared hopeless in yesterday’s 8-1 loss to the Marlins.
That made it two straight losses to the Marlins for the Mets (22-31) since sweeping the Yankees four games in the Subway Series after beating the Braves last Sunday.
“What we did this week was win five in a row, this is only two [losses],” catcher John Buck said. “We can rebound, take [today], this way we can get some momentum going into D.C.”
Ace Matt Harvey is scheduled to start for the Mets today, but that hardly guarantees victory for this offensively challenged group. The Mets have scored five runs over their last three games after busting out with nine runs in a victory over the Yankees on Wednesday.
With Jon Niese sidelined by left shoulder tendonitis, Collin McHugh made his first start of the season and struggled almost from the start.
McHugh (0-1) lasted four-plus innings in which he surrendered four earned runs on six hits with three walks and one strikeout. The Marlins turned the game into a runaway in the seventh by scoring four runs against Robert Carson and Greg Burke.
“I did everything I wanted to do in preparation for this game,” said McHugh, who hadn’t pitched in 11 days. “I don’t think time off really had anything to do with it. I just wasn’t able to execute the way I wanted to. I wasn’t as sharp as I wanted to be today.”
Fernandez (3-3) fired seven shutout innings in which he allowed three hits with eight strikeouts and one walk. In three starts against the Mets this season he is 1-0 with a 1.69 ERA.
“He’s going to be in this league a long time and we’re going to see him a lot of times when you play them 19 times,” manager Terry Collins said. “If he throws like he did today, I don’t care if you see him 30 times, he’s going to get you out.”
Nobody had a worse game than Buck, who finished 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. Justin Turner’s pinch-hit RBI double in the eighth against Dan Jennings gave the Mets their only run.
“[Fernandez] just executed his pitches real well today,” Buck said. “The last time we saw him he was sharp. When he’s gotten in trouble is when he’s left stuff out over the plate whether he is ahead or behind and he didn’t do that today.”
Jeff Mathis’ RBI triple in the fourth extended the Marlins’ lead to 4-0 against McHugh after Chris Coghlan and Greg Dobbs had singled in succession to begin the inning and Adeiny Hechavarria delivered a sacrifice fly.
Fernandez hit a long single against McHugh in the second — the ball rolled in the gap between Lucas Duda and Rick Ankiel — allowing Mathis to score from first after he had walked with two outs. Mathis entered play batting .045.
Coghlan’s RBI single in the first accounted for the Marlins’ first run, after McHugh had walked Placido Polanco and Derek Dietrich in succession.
“That was very uncharacteristic of Collin,” Collins said. “He got here because he’s a strike thrower and after that he threw strikes.
“You’re down a couple and when he’s behind in the count he’s got to come in and a guy like that has got to work the corners and throw strikes and if he gets in the middle of the plate he’s going to get hit.”