For a second straight start, Noah Syndergaard had somebody other than Wilson Ramos behind the plate to catch him, as Callaway inserted Tomas Nido into the lineup.
Nido became Syndergaard’s personal catcher earlier this season. For his previous start, Syndergaard had Rene Rivera — another preferred target — as his catcher.
“Ramos had caught four in a row, and we still want Noah to get going,” Callaway said before the Mets’ 5-4, 11-inning win over the Marlins. “We want him to finish strong his last couple and hopefully this will be the right recipe. Obviously didn’t things work out great last time and we feel today is Nido’s time to go.”
Instead, Syndergaard allowed four earned runs for a fourth straight outing. He also gave up 10 hits in just five innings. Syndergaard is scheduled to start the Mets’ final game of the regular season, on Sunday against the Braves at Citi Field.
“He’s having a rough go of it right now,’’ Callaway said. “He’s got one more left and it’s going to be the last day of the season.’’
Paul Sewald picked up the win, the first of his career after starting 0-14. It was the longest streak to start a career in NL history.
“It’s a meaningless stat, but it’s just good to have one,’’ Sewald said.
Jacob deGrom’s final start is scheduled for Wednesday against the Marlins, giving the right-hander one last chance to polish his numbers in the NL Cy Young race. DeGrom’s ERA has dropped from 2.71 to 2.51 over his last two starts, against the Dodgers and Reds.
Robert Gsellman will throw live batting practice for a second time (either Wednesday or Thursday) before a decision is reached on activating him from the injured list. The right-hander — who has missed the last month-plus with a partially torn lat — has said he would like to pitch again this season for peace of mind heading into the winter.
Dominic Smith is scheduled to be examined Wednesday to determine if he is cleared medically for a return from a stress fracture in his left foot. Smith took batting practice for a second straight day.
Mets visiting clubhouse manager Tony Carullo was among the team employees honored during a pregame ceremony. Carullo, who has spent 51 years in the organization, is retiring at the season’s conclusion. He started in the organization as a batboy and has served as the visiting clubhouse manager since 1975.