For eight innings, the Mets’ offense looked as lifeless as it has for much of the season.
But against Miami closer Tanner Scott in the ninth, they awoke, as J.D. Martinez won it with a two-run homer with one out for a 3-2 win on Thursday night at Citi Field.
With the comeback, the Mets avoided a series loss at home to the last-place Marlins.
No-hit by Roddery Munoz until the sixth, the Mets had just a pair of hits going into the ninth.
Francisco Lindor led off the inning with a walk, then Brandon Nimmo struck out.
With Martinez at the plate, Lindor swiped second, and on the next pitch, Martinez went deep for his sixth homer of the season.
It helped the Mets avoid an embarrassing defeat and sent another small Citi Field crowd home happy.
The win salvaged a solid outing from Luis Severino, who could be in the conversation for an All-Star berth — and a trip out of Queens at the trade deadline.
Severino pitched at least six innings and gave up just one run for the third time in his past four starts as he builds his case for an All-Star nod after last year’s disaster with the Yankees.
But after scoring 10 runs in Wednesday’s win, the Mets didn’t get a hit off Munoz until Harrison Bader’s single to right with one out in the sixth.
Munoz, a 24-year-old rookie, had allowed 10 earned runs over 8 ²/₃ innings in his previous two starts for the Marlins, with a stint in the minors in between.
Severino, coming off another excellent start against the Nationals, gave up singles to Tim Anderson and Otto Lopez to start the top of the third, but got the next three batters to keep the game scoreless.
The right-hander got into trouble again an inning later, loading the bases with one out thanks to a double by Jesus Sanchez, and walks to Jake Burger and Nick Gordon.
But Severino escaped damage for a second time, getting an inning-ending double play from Anderson.
Miami finally broke through against Severino in the sixth.
With one out, Burger smacked an opposite-field solo homer to right on a 1-2 four-seam fastball.
It gave the Marlins a 1-0 lead and was just the second home run allowed by Severino in his past four starts.
Bader got the Mets’ first hit, but was then caught stealing with Lindor at the plate.
Drew Smith replaced Severino to start the seventh and gave up a one-out bomb to Jazz Chisolm Jr., a 426-foot solo homer to make it 2-0.
Lopez, despite allowing just three base runners and facing one batter over the minimum, was pulled after 81 pitches, with Anthony Bender coming in.
Nimmo, in a nearly month-long rut, led off with a walk and Martinez sent him to third with a double down the left-field line.
A walk by Pete Alonso loaded the bases for Starling Marte. Then the lineup returned to form, as Marte grounded into a double play.
It scored Nimmo for the Mets’ first run, but Mark Vientos followed by bouncing out to shortstop to end the threat.
Edwin Diaz pitched a scoreless ninth in his return from the IL.
And the offense came alive in the bottom of the inning, capped off by Martinez’s 409-foot shot to right-center.