MILWAUKEE — Something tells you Brewers general manager Doug Melvin wasn’t cursing up a storm Saturday night over the fact he let Shaun Marcum depart during the winter.
In his homecoming to Miller Park, Marcum was simply brutal, raising further questions about his health and whether he still belongs in the Mets rotation.
“I felt stiff, but like I told [manager] Terry [Collins], I felt like I was good enough to continue,” Marcum said after the Mets’ 7-6 loss to the Brewers.
Marcum said he experienced the same numbness, tingling and “cold hand” during the last night’s game that led to him receiving an MRI exam on his upper back on Tuesday.
“If something comes up, we’ve got to figure out what it is,” Marcum said. “But I’m going to try and throw through it and do whatever I can to help these guys.”
Marcum (1-10), who pitched two seasons for the Brewers before signing a one-year deal with the Mets last offseason for $4 million guaranteed, became the fourth pitcher in the National League to reach double-digits in losses. Overall, he surrendered six runs, five earned, on 11 hits and one walk over five innings.
If the Mets decide to bump Marcum from the rotation or place him on the disabled list, right-hander Carlos Torres likely would take his place.
But Collins didn’t seem to be in a hurry to make a change.
“He’s had some pretty good games and recently,” Collins said. “Even [Monday] he pitched pretty good when his back started to get stiffon him, but I think tonight was a tough night for him pitching back here.”
Ike Davis, in his second game since his recall from Triple-A Las Vegas, finished 0-for-2 with three walks. Marlon Byrd’s solo homer against former Met Francisco Rodriguez in the ninth brought the Mets closer before Kirk Nieuwenhuis struck out to end it.
The Mets trailed 5-0 after four innings, but rallied to make it a game against Yovani Gallardo and Milwaukee’s bullpen. Daniel Murphy had a strong offensive night with a 3-for-5 performance, but he also committed a big error in the sixth inning that led to a Brewers run.
Logan Schafer’s RBI double against LaTroy Hawkins in the seventh gave the Brewers a 7-5 lead and much-needed insurance.
The Mets scrapped and pulled within 6-5 on Byrd’s sacrifice fly in the seventh against John Axford. But Nieuwenhuis was retired on a sharp line drive to left, leaving the tying and go-ahead runs on base. Murphy and David Wright had singled to start the rally before Davis’ third walk loaded the bases for Byrd.
Collins gambled and let Marcum bat with the tying run at first base in the sixth and watched him ground out to end the threat before getting yanked without recording an out in the bottom of the inning.
Murphy mishandled Marcum’s throw to first on a Gallardo sacrifice bunt, allowing Schafer to circle the bases and score, giving the Brewers a 6-4 lead. Hawkins entered and got three outs without another run scoring.
John Buck’s two-run single in the sixth cut the deficit to 5-4 after Davis had brazenly raced first-to-third on a Nieuwenhuis single and barely beat the throw. Nieuwenhuis advanced to second on the play, setting the stage for Buck.
Murphy’s two-out RBI double in the fifth against Gallardo pulled the Mets within 5-2. Buck homered leading off the inning — the play was reviewed by umpires, who upheld the original call — before Omar Quintanilla singled and scored on Murphy’s double.
“They came out and scored some runs for me, I just didn’t do my job,” Marcum said. “Offensively for me they had some opportunities and [the Brewers] made some pitches when they had to and that’s the game.”
mpuma@nypost.com