ATLANTA — After watching Daisuke Matsuzaka succeed in a variety of roles this season, the Mets have to wonder if the veteran right-hander is finally out of gas.
Twice in the last week Matsuzaka has been lit up, weakening his case to remain in the rotation once Dillon Gee returns and the Mets have six starters for five spots.
On Tuesday, Matsuzaka was torture to watch for 98 pitches over five innings, and the Mets lineup predictably went silent down the stretch in a 5-4 loss to the Braves at Turner Field.
The Mets (37-47) fell a season’s-worst 10 games below .500 and have lost five of six games on a road trip that began Thursday in Pittsburgh.
Matsuzaka (3-3) had a second straight rough outing, lasting five innings in which he allowed five earned runs on seven hits with five strikeouts and three walks. In Matsuzka’s previous start, against the Pirates, he surrendered five earned runs over six innings.
“Today the first two outs [in innings] came pretty easily,” Matsuzaka said. “But I just wasn’t able to finish off with the last out. It’s disappointing not being able to keep us in the game.”
A Mets lineup that was without David Wright for a fifth straight game had just one hit over the final 4²/₃ innings and struck out 13 times. Wright is not expected to play until at least Friday as he rests the bruised rotator cuff in his left shoulder.
“Thirteen is a lot of strikeouts,” manager Terry Collins said. “They’ve haunted us for awhile.”
When Gee returns from the disabled list — either next week or immediately after the All-Star break — the Mets will bump a starter. Collins said before the game it’s still undecided who between Matsuzaka and rookie Jacob deGrom will move to the bullpen upon Gee’s return.
“In the perfect world Jake, if he’s going to be a starter in 2015, he’s certainly a guy you want to see if he can get through 2014,” Collins said. “That said, there is also the case of the workload. Do we spend a couple of weeks to put [deGrom] in the pen where he can throw an inning here and an inning there? Those will all be determined later.”
Mike Minor lasted just 4¹/₃ innings for the Braves and surrendered four earned runs on nine hits with five strikeouts and one walk. But Atlanta’s bullpen stopped the Mets over the final 4²/₃ innings — Travis d’Arnaud’s single in the eighth was the Mets’ only hit over that stretch.
Daniel Murphy’s two-run homer against Minor in the fifth sliced the Braves’ lead to 5-4, but that was the Mets’ last hurrah. Shae Simmons retired Chris Young and d’Arnaud to leave the tying run at third base, and the Mets continued their trend of not adding on late in games.
“If there was a magic formula to it, we would be doing it,” Murphy said. “I promise.”
The Braves scored three runs in the fourth to take a 5-2 lead against Matsuzaka. The pitcher Minor singled in a run before Andrelton Simmons delivered a two-run single later in the inning. Matsuzaka created the mess by walking the inning’s leadoff hitter, Chris Johnson, before getting two quick outs.
Freddie Freeman’s RBI double in the third had tied the game at 2-2. Simmons’ single and stolen base started the rally.
Christian Bethancourt’s RBI single in the second accounted for the Braves’ first run. Matsuzaka retired the first two batters in the inning, but Johnson singled and Tommy La Stella was hit by a pitch before Bethancourt delivered.
Curtis Granderson’s second homer in as many games, a two-run blast in the third, had given the Mets a 2-1 lead.
“We’ve just got to hang in there and can’t tuck our heads between our legs and feel bad for ourselves,” Collins said.