Mandatory Credit: Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports

The Mets’ offense sputtered yet again Tuesday night during a 3-0 loss to the Braves. Marcus Stroman had to leave his start in the second inning, as well, as the injuries continue to ramp back up for the team.

New York (37-31) went the first 8.2 innings tonight with one hit. It came from pinch-hitting pitcher Jerad Eickhoff, who started Monday night. James McCann had the second hit — a two-out double in the ninth — before the final out.

It was the fourth time they’ve been shut out in eight games.

More importantly than the shutout, Marcus Stroman — the team’s second-best starter — left his start three pitches into the second with “left hip soreness,” the team says.

Stroman gave up a couple hard-hit balls in the first but got out of it clean. When pitching to Austin Rileythe following inning, Stroman pulled up a little lame and grabbed his left side. He tried throwing a couple warm up pitches but was wincing throughout them.

He seemed to try to convince the triumvirate of Luis Rojas, Jeremy Hefner and assistant trainer Joseph Golia (maybe a quadrumvirate if you include James McCann) that he could stay in, but there was no way he was going to pitch through the injury.

Yennsy Diaz relieved Stroman and allowed two walks and a single to the first three batters–not totally unreasonable given the situation of unexpectedly being called upon. It turned into one of the more energizing moments of the season when he struck out Ender Inciarte, Charlie Morton and Ronald Acuña Jr. Francisco Lindor was pumped.

Diaz didn’t have the same escape-ability the next inning when he gave up a first-pitch, three-run home run to Dansby Swanson with two outs, and that just about killed all the energy built up the inning before.

They were the only runs the Braves scored Tuesday.

Drew Smith followed Diaz with two scoreless innings, then Aaron Loup handled the Braves for the next three innings, allowing just one hit during his outing.

His three innings were the most he’s thrown in one appearance in eight years, and they came at an extremely clutch time while trying to keep the Mets in a tight and desperate game. He really ate some innings when the bullpen needed it.

Loup threw 40 pitches when he hadn’t thrown more than 23 in an appearance this year, so he ought to be off until the weekend. He has a 1.59 ERA through 21.2 innings this year.

Trevor May followed with a scoreless ninth despite Ender Inciarte’s best efforts. It’s his his fifth-straight scoreless outing after a rough stretch of eight or so appearances.

Thanks to a solid bullpen performance, they’ll have the likes of Seth Lugo and Edwin Diaz available Wednesday. The only question is who will start. And if they’ll be able to score any runs.

They have not announced a starter for Wednesday’s game (7:10 p.m. on SNY) yet.

It would’ve been Joey Lucchesi, but he was placed on the injured list, then it was revealed he needs Tommy John surgery. Then it probably would’ve been a bullpen game, but one of their long-relief options Robert Gsellman is on the injured list now, too.

There was always the possibility the team pieced together a bullpen game still with an off day Thursday, but after Stroman left Tuesday’s game early, that was likely out of the cards.

The likeliest call is they bring Robert Stock, who they just claimed off waivers from the Cubs, to the major-league club. He pitched against the Mets last Wednesday. He’s the only real option who can both pitch multiple innings and isn’t in COVID-19 contact tracing protocols (i.e. maybe Tylor Megill).

Kyle Wright will be called up from Triple-A to start for the Braves on Wednesday. He’s started one game in the majors this year, lasted 4.1 innings and gave up two runs. He’s started eight times in Triple-A with a 3.76 ERA.

General manager Zack Scott said Michael Conforto was going to be activated for Tuesday’s game, but he wasn’t. The Mets said that was “out of an abundance of caution” regarding the Triple-A Syracuse contact tracing situation.

He tested negative for COVID-19, though, and the team says he’ll be activated for Wednesday’s game, which may give a boost to the offense. That’s just about the only of good news the team got Tuesday.