NEW YORK (Interstat) — The Miami Marlins broke open a scoreless game with a four-run fifth inning and rode a solid start from Janson Junk to a 5-2 victory over the N.Y. Mets on Friday night at Citi Field.

Miami improved to 56-55 with the win, while the Mets dropped to 47-65. The game drew an announced crowd of 33,064 and took 2 hours, 39 minutes.

Junk earned the win, his fifth of the season against six losses, after allowing just three hits over five scoreless innings. He struck out four and walked none. Junk’s effort was particularly timely for Miami, which had lost four of its previous five games entering the night.

Pete Fairbanks pitched a clean ninth inning for his 16th save, striking out one. The Marlins used a combination of relievers to cover the final four innings, with Tyler Zuber, Calvin Faucher and Cade Gibson also seeing action. Faucher allowed one run on one hit over 1 1/3 innings, striking out four. Gibson recorded the final out of the seventh inning after Faucher departed, stranding a runner.

The decisive moment came in the top of the fifth inning. Griffin Conine and Heriberto Hernandez drew walks to open the frame. Jakob Marsee then doubled to right field, driving in Conine and sending Hernandez to third. Joe Mack followed with a line-drive single to left, scoring Hernandez and Marsee. After Javier Sanoja grounded out, Liam Hicks flied out. Xavier Edwards then singled to right, scoring Mack to make it 4-0.

The Marlins added a run in the sixth when Kyle Stowers homered to center field, his 16th of the season. Stowers went 2 for 4 with a home run and an RBI. Mack also finished 2 for 4 with two RBIs.

The Mets answered with a run in the bottom of the fifth. Jorge Polanco reached on a fielding error by Stowers at first base and advanced to second on a walk to Francisco Alvarez. A.J. Ewing singled to center, scoring Polanco. Francisco Lindor followed with a sharp single to right to load the bases, but Bo Bichette popped out to end the threat with Miami ahead 4-1.

Lindor cut into the lead again in the seventh with a solo home run to right field, his ninth of the season. He finished 2 for 3 with a home run and an RBI.

The Mets had a chance to rally in the fourth inning when Lindor walked and Bichette reached on a fielder’s choice, but Bichette was erased on a fielder’s choice that also retired Lindor at third. Carson Benge doubled to put runners at second and third with two outs, but Luis Robert Jr. struck out to end the inning.

Mets starter Kodai Senga took the loss. He allowed two earned runs on two hits over four innings before being lifted for Xzavion Curry. Senga struck out four and walked two, falling to 0-8 on the season. Curry allowed two earned runs on six hits over five innings, striking out two.

Miami’s offense managed eight hits, while the Mets collected seven. The Marlins left several runners on base but capitalized when it mattered, particularly in the fifth inning rally.

The win snapped a two-game skid for Miami and gave the Marlins a chance to split the four-game series with a victory Saturday. The Mets, meanwhile, have lost three of their last four and continue to struggle at home.

Defensively, Miami turned a key double play in the eighth inning. With Carson Benge on first after a single, Luis Robert Jr. grounded into a shortstop-to-second-to-first double play to erase the baserunner. Following a strikeout of Jared Young, the Mets were retired in order in the ninth.

Fairbanks retired Marcus Semien on strikes, then got Jorge Polanco and Francisco Alvarez to fly out to seal the win. The last two outs came quickly, and Fairbanks worked efficiently to close it out.

The Marlins’ bullpen overall allowed just one run over the final four innings, and the pitching staff combined to strand 10 Mets runners. The Mets left the bases loaded in the fifth and also had two runners on in the fourth.

Miami’s top of the order set the table early. Xavier Edwards reached base in the fifth with the RBI single, and Otto Lopez added a line out that was caught sharply. Edwards was caught stealing to end the fifth inning, but the damage was done.

The game marked the second of a four-game set between the two teams, with the Mets winning Thursday’s opener 4-2. Miami now looks to even the series Saturday before the teams close out the weekend slate.

The Marlins received contributions from the bottom of the order as well. Jakob Marsee doubled and scored a run. Liam Hicks, Javier Sanoja and Griffin Conine each played roles in the offensive attack, with Conine drawing a walk and scoring in the big fifth inning.

For the Mets, the loss overshadowed strong relief work from Curry, who kept the game within reach after Senga’s early exit. But Miami’s bullpen was sharper, and the Marlins made the key plays when needed.

The game’s pivotal sequence was undoubtedly the fifth inning, when Miami turned walks and timely hitting into a four-run cushion. That proved more than enough for Junk and the bullpen.

Junk’s previous outing had been a loss to San Diego on July 26, when he allowed one earned run over 4 2/3 innings. Friday marked a return to form for the right-hander, who kept the Mets off balance all night.

Miami’s defense also came up big. The double play in the eighth erased Carson Benge, and earlier a fielder’s choice in the fourth cut down Lindor at third to preserve the shutout at the time.

The Mets threatened again in the seventh after Lindor’s homer, but Faucher struck out Francisco Alvarez and A.J. Ewing to end the inning. Cade Gibson relieved Faucher with two outs and recorded the final out, then handed the ball to Zuber for the eighth.

Zuber worked around a single in the eighth, getting the double play and a strikeout to keep Miami ahead 5-2. It was a collective effort from the Marlins pitching staff, which combined for 10 strikeouts and did not issue a walk after the fifth inning.

The Marlins left four runners on base and the Mets left eight, but Miami’s efficiency with runners in scoring position in the fifth made the difference.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of New York Mets 4, Miami Marlins 3, and its ELO system gave the Mets a 51.70 percent probability to win. New York had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -1.5. The total score of 7 went over the over/under line of 8.5.