MIKE &YIKES

Conforto rescues Mets after pen falters with Lugo headed to rotation

Michael Conforto celebrates with Billy Hamilton after the Mets’ harrowing 5-3 win over the Marlins. Conforto blasted a two-run homer in the ninth after Miami had rallied from 2-0 and 3-1 deficits against Jeurys Familia, Dellin Betances and Edwin Diaz with Seth Lugo now a starter.

Luis Rojas’ impending rotation shake-up put the Mets in peril Wednesday night in Miami, but a dependable bat helped ensure the team didn’t have to bleed before the experiment could potentially succeed.

Michael Conforto turned a blown save by this Seth Lugo-less bullpen into a magical moment in this Mets’ season. Conforto’s ball cleared the center-field fence in the ninth inning for a two-run homer that led to a 5-3 victory over the Marlins.

“It was good to get one over the wall and win the series right now,” said Conforto, whose Mets own a three-game winning streak for the first time this season.

Rojas had been cryptic about his rotation plans, but after the game announced that Lugo will be stretched out as a starter beginning Thursday and replace the struggling Steven Matz. The lefty Matz, who has pitched to a 9.00 ERA this season, will work from the bullpen in an attempt to get on track.

The bold move — Lugo is the Mets’ most dependable reliever — meant the Mets had to survive Wednesday with alternative plans after Jacob deGrom was removed following the sixth.

Dellin Betances and Edwin Diaz flushed deGrom’s win in the eighth, but in the ninth Conforto followed Brandon Nimmo’s two-out single against Brandon Kintzler with his blast for the go-ahead runs. Diaz struck out the side in the ninth to finish it.

“If the save was blown, that is something that happens, too, but we trust these guys,” Rojas said.

Betances, working for a second straight day, was entrusted a 3-1 lead in the eighth and couldn’t protect it. After Betances drilled Eddy Alvarez with the bases loaded to force in a run, Diaz entered and walked Logan Forsythe on five pitches to tie it.

DeGrom, returning to the rotation after his last start was skipped because of neck stiffness, allowed four hits over six shutout innings and struck out seven. He was removed after throwing 91 pitches and watched as Jeurys Familia and Justin Wilson survived the seventh with one run scoring to pull Miami within 2-1.

“Not pitching in 10 days I was a little rusty and got tired quicker than I would have liked,” deGrom said. “But we were fortunate enough to get a win.

“I was a little tired [after six innings]. I don’t really like to admit that, but I could definitely feel it and I think that goes to the 10 days.”

DeGrom’s dominant return was welcomed by the Mets, who had survived starts by Robert Gsellman and Corey Oswalt in the first two games of this series. Walker Lockett had replaced deGrom as the starter last Friday in Philadelphia and allowed six runs over five innings in a Mets loss. The Mets are also without lefty David Peterson, who was placed on the injured list this week with swelling in his shoulder.

With deGrom removed, Familia walked Francisco Cervelli leading off the seventh, allowing the Marlins to pull within a run on Wilson’s wild pitch later in the inning.

But the Mets got that run back in their next at-bat, as Dominic Smith delivered an RBI double after Conforto had been hit by a pitch and J.D. Davis walked. The sizzling Smith has 16 extra-base hits in 65 at-bats this season and leads the team with 21 RBIs.

Luis Guillorme was instrumental in two Mets’ scoring rallies and finished 2-for-4 with an RBI, as his impressive play continued offensively and defensively.

It was Guillorme’s double, slapped over third base in the second inning, that led to the Mets scoring their first run against Pablo Lopez on Wilson Ramos’ sacrifice fly. In the seventh, Guillorme stroked an RBI single — after Pete Alonso had been intentionally walked — to extend the Mets’ lead to 2-0. Smith was also in the middle of that rally with a double to right leading off the inning.

Guillorme also ranged toward second base on Brian Anderson’s grounder to begin the fourth and threw out Anderson on an off-balance play. In all eight of his starts this season, Guillorme has at least one hit.

David Peterson is sore but not completely derailed.

A day after the rookie was scratched from his start against the Marlins with shoulder discomfort, an MRI exam on Wednesday indicated that Peterson has “minor inflammation” in the joint, but no structural damage. Peterson will rest for the short term.

“I’m not worried about it,” Peterson said before the Mets beat the Marlins 5-3 in Miami.

As it stands the Mets have Rick Porcello and Robert Gsellman lined up for the first two games of the Subway Series this weekend at Citi Field with a question mark surrounding Sunday. With his IL stint backdated, Peterson could theoretically be a possibility for that start, but that seems like a stretch.

Michael Wacha, who is also recovering from shoulder inflammation, threw in a simulated game Tuesday and the Mets are waiting to determine his next step.

Peterson, who owns a 2.91 ERA in four starts, has been among the team’s bright spots this season.

“The starts I have had already have been good experience for me and there were things to learn and things to take away that were positives and so I don’t see this as a big block in the road,” Peterson said. “I am going to take the experience that I’ve had and keep learning when I get back in the rotation.”

➤ Jeff McNeil’s left knee isn’t as much the issue as maybe a change to his approach.

The Mets outfielder was on the bench for a mental cleansing of sorts, as his recent slump had continued following a return to the lineup from a left knee contusion.

“[McNeil] was moving OK, there was nothing he was complaining about, just for him a day off, we have some things to work on with him,” manager Luis Rojas said before the game. “He was a little different at the plate [Tuesday], a little bit more upright with his stance and some things and his approach. We want to make sure he’s right back on track with his hitting.”

McNeil entered 1-for-11 (.099) since returning to the lineup Monday following his collision with the left-field fence last week. Overall he was in a 6-for-32 (.188) skid over his previous 10 games.