Tuesday was supposed to be a step toward getting back in the National League wild-card race for the Mets.
Instead, it was more of the same in what’s been a mostly ugly season — especially in Queens.
The Mets dropped their series opener to the lowly Marlins, 4-2, at Citi Field, where they have played poorly all year.
And the offense that was finally healthy for the first time with the return of Francisco Alvarez, was eerily quiet against lefty Jesus Luzardo and the Marlins’ bullpen.
It was a dispiriting start to a 12-game stretch in which the Mets are playing teams currently under .500, as they look to avoid a trade deadline sell-off for a second straight season.
It followed a dramatic win in London over the Phillies.
With the last-place Marlins in town, Carlos Mendoza said before the game: “We’re back to business. … It’s an important series. Moving forward, every series, every game, is important.”
But after winning four of five — and facing a team that had lost six of its previous seven — the Mets’ bats, and crowd, were quiet.
The Mets fell behind in the second with Jesus Sanchez starting the inning with a double.
Tylor Megill retired the next two batters before Tim Anderson singled home Sanchez.
The deficit didn’t last long, as the Mets answered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning off Luzardo.
J.D. Martinez led off by getting hit by an 0-2 pitch and Starling Marte singled to left to set up Mark Vientos, who ripped a two-run double down the left-field line.
Vientos advanced to third on an Alvarez groundout.
After Luzardo hit a second batter on an 0-2 pitch in the inning — this time Jose Iglesias — Francisco Lindor lined out to left to keep it a one-run game.
Anderson singled to open the fifth and hustled to third on a Nick Fortes bouncer to third that was handled well by Vientos.
With the infield in, Megill walked Jazz Chisolm Jr. and then gave up a booming double to left-center that bounced off a diving Harrison Bader’s glove. Anderson scored to tie the game.
Megill got Josh Bell to fly to shallow left before Jake Burger hit a smash to third, where Vientos made a nice stop, but an errant throw took Pete Alonso off the bag to allow the go-ahead run to score.
Danny Young replaced Megill — who whiffed eight in 4 ²/₃ innings — and struck out Sanchez to end the inning.
Luzardo settled down after the second.
Following Lindor’s lineout to end the second, the lefty faced one batter over the minimum until Marte singled with two outs in the sixth to end Luzardo’s night.
Pinch-hitter DJ Stewart drew a leadoff walk in the seventh and was replaced by pinch-runner Tyrone Taylor, but Alvarez flied out.
Mendoza then went to Jeff McNeil to pinch hit for Iglesias against righty Anthony Bender, but Miami manager Skip Schumaker went to left-hander Andrew Nardi, who struck out McNeil for the second out and Lindor then flied to right.
Martinez flied to the warning track in right for the second time to end the eighth against Tanner Scott, briefly getting a rise out of the Citi Field crowd.
A throwing error by Alvarez on Nick Lopez’s steal of second led to an unearned run off Adam Ottavino and Scott picked up a two-inning save.
