MIAMI — Custer’s troops battled, too.
The Mets can battle, scrape and claw all they want, but unless they start winning games in a hurry, manager Jerry Manuel will be staring at his own Little Big Horn.
With yesterday’s 10-8 loss to the Marlins at Sun Life Stadium, the Mets put an exclamation point on a week of futility, losing their fifth straight, which included the embarrassment of getting swept in four games here.
“It’s good that we continue to fight back,” said David Wright, whose Mets (18-20) fell into a seven-run hole before making it a game. “But it doesn’t do us a lot of good in the win-loss column. We’ve got to start winning some close ones.”
The Mets’ immediate concern is for Jon Niese, who left the game in the third inning with an aggravated right proximal hamstring. The lefty is headed back to New York for further evaluation, leaving another question mark in the rotation beyond the identity of Oliver Perez’s replacement for Wednesday.
Manuel may enlist the services of knuckleballer R.A. Dickey on Wednesday and could have Hisanori Takahashi start in Niese’s place Friday.
Takahashi pitched three innings in relief yesterday, eliminating him from contention to start Wednesday. The Mets also have Tobi Stoner and Pat Misch at Triple-A Buffalo, but the latter would be working on short rest if he was chosen for Wednesday.
And forget about the Mets going back to Perez, who has been demoted to the bullpen.
“I don’t see us going in that direction once we decided to put him in the bullpen,” Manuel said.
Niese, who tore a right hamstring tendon while covering first base last August, felt soreness in the same area after fielding a Gaby Sanchez bunt in the third inning. After throwing one pitch to Hanley Ramirez, Niese was finished for the day.
“It was a sharp pain and the leg kind of buckled with the pitch — it was kind of scary,” Niese said.
The lefty said the pain subsided after he exited the game.
“I don’t want to miss a start and I’ll do whatever I can,” Niese said. “That being said, I’ll listen to the doctor.”
After the Mets had scored six straight runs and put a scare into the Marlins, pinch-hitter Chris Coghlan all but sealed the outcome with a three-run homer in the seventh against Fernando Nieve.
Wright had an ugly afternoon, committing an error and botching another ball — that would have been ruled an error if not for an atrocious official scoring decision — as part of the Marlins’ six-run third inning.
Cody Ross and Brett Carroll had reached on a single and walk leading off the third when Ricky Nolasco attempted a sacrifice bunt. Niese fielded and fired to Wright, who mishandled the throw, loading the bases. Cameron Maybin followed with a two-run double.
That’s when it really got ugly: Sanchez bunted and Niese, losing his footing and aggravating the hamstring, threw past first baseman Ike Davis, allowing another run to score. Takahashi replaced Niese and three more runs scored in the inning.
Wright’s two-run double in the sixth and Alex Cora’s two-run double in the seventh fueled the Mets’ comeback hopes, but closer Leo Nunez nailed down three outs in the ninth after allowing a run. About the only thing the Mets have going for them is Mike Pelfrey and Johan Santana are in line to pitch the two-game series in Atlanta beginning tonight.
“We better get it going,” Jeff Francoeur said. “We’ve got our 1-2 on the mound in Atlanta, so it’s important we go in there and win both.”
mpuma@nypost.com