MIAMI — The Marlins clawed back from an eight-run deficit and had the tying and winning runs on base in the ninth inning before falling 15-14 to the Mets in a marathon slugfest at loanDepot park that dealt another blow to Miami’s fading postseason hopes.

The loss dropped Miami to 72-75, three games below .500 for the first time since June 9. The Marlins have now lost six of seven and sit 6 1/2 games back in the National League Wild Card standings with 15 games remaining.

“Disappointing how this homestand has gone to this point,” manager Clayton McCullough said. “You could say you saw some dejection in there, and certainly it’s 8-0 early – like that was not the hand that we wanted, but it was the one that we were dealt. With this group, you saw how they finished last night, again tonight. Certainly no one can question this group’s willingness to hang in there and continue just to go until it’s done, because they just continually show that.”

Starter Janson Junk surrendered a career-high-tying eight runs over three frames, continuing a brutal stretch for Miami’s rotation. Junk, Eury Pérez and Sandy Alcantara combined to allow 22 runs — 20 earned — in 11 1/3 innings across the series. Entering the finale, the rotation had posted a 6.67 ERA while allowing an .899 OPS over its last 12 games. Former Marlin Christopher Morel took Junk deep in the third for his first homer of the season.

“I feel like I’ve done a lot of good this season, and I feel like the scoreboard doesn’t really reflect my outing tonight,” said Junk, who carried a 2.08 ERA over his previous nine outings. “So overall, take it on the chin and we move on.”

The Marlins used seven relievers and surrendered a season-high 15 runs but matched their own season highs with 14 runs scored and 20 hits. Miami trailed 8-0 before scratching across three runs in the fourth on an RBI single by Graham Pauley and a two-run knock from Joe Mack, then erupted for a five-run sixth to tie the game at 8. Owen Caissie crushed a leadoff homer to center — his 14th of the season and first since Aug. 13 — and Jakob Marsee capped the frame with a two-run single. Mack added a solo shot in the seventh, his first homer since Aug. 15, snapping a 12-game stretch without an extra-base hit.

New York answered with a six-run seventh, highlighted by a three-run homer from Francisco Lindor, to push ahead 14-8. Down 15-11 with one out in the ninth, Griffin Conine pulled an RBI double, Otto Lopez followed with an RBI triple and Marsee chased lefty Nate Lavender with an RBI single to make it 15-14. Javier Sanoja singled off righty Tobias Myers to put runners on first and second, but Caissie struck out and Pauley popped out to short to end it.

“When I was up here at the end of last year, we were the same exact way,” said Marsee, who collected a season-high-tying four hits. “And even, honestly, throughout this whole year, I feel like that’s the one thing we’ve done really well is no matter how much we’re down in games, even if we just put enough runs to get their closer up and moving or something, we just haven’t quit all year, and it’s fun to play that way.”

The Marlins have 15 games left to close a 6 1/2-game gap in the Wild Card race, beginning with their next series.