-The baseball playoffs kickoff today with three of the four Division Series starting up with the Phillies hosting the Brewers, the defending champion Red Sox visiting the Angels and the Cubs taking on the Dodgers.

Last night, the White Sox became the eighth and final participant thanks to splendid pitching from John Danks, who limited the Twins to two hits over eight shutout frames en route to a 1-0 win in their one-game playoff last night in the Windy City to clinch the AL Central. Jim Thome’s 34th home run of the season off Minnesota starter Nick Blackburn which ledoff the seventh was the difference in a game that saw both teams combine for a run on seven hits.

The White Sox got a big defensive play by veteran center fielder Ken Griffey, Jr. who with the game scoreless tossed out Michael Cuddyer at the plate on a short fly to complete a 9-2 inning ending double play. The much likable future Hall Of Famer deflected attention paying homage to veteran backstop A.J. Pierzynski for catching the ball and in one motion applying the tag on a throw which he caught on the third base side of the plate:

“That play, all I had to do was make a good throw. The credit is all A.J. I put a two-hopper in there and he was able to get it and block the plate. That’s the key there. He put his body on the line for us.”

“He did a heck of a job,” Thome added of Griffey, who’s making his first postseason appearance since 1997 with Seattle. “I’m so happy for him, too.”

Closer Bobby Jenks came on to work a perfect ninth for his 30th save.

For the Twins, who dealt away ace Johan Santana for a four-player package which included speedy center fielder Carlos Gomez, it was a disappointing conclusion to what was a good year where they came oh so close to still making October.

“You never want to put 162 games all into one game, but that’s what ended up happening,” Twins first base slugger Justin Morneau lamented despite a great second half finishing one RBI shy of AL leader Josh Hamilton. “It’s going to hurt for a while and it’s going to be a long night for sure.”

Even in not the most productive lineup, the 27 year-old former 2006 AL MVP had a terrific season finishing at .300 with 23 dingers and 129 RBI’s- one shy of his career best two years ago. Morneau’s proven himself as one of the best young sluggers in the game and along with great hitting catcher and teammate Joe Mauer, whose .328 mark was good enough for the batting title should continue to lead Minnesota forward into their new stadium.

Ron Gardenhire did another tremendous job and should merit some AL Manager of The Year consideration though ultimately, Tampa’s Joe Maddon will justifiably take it home. One of these years, it’s all going to come together for the Twins which is a credit to Gardenhire and his staff.

-In assessing the four series, here’s who I like:

A.Cubs vs Dodgers- LA matches up well despite getting in via the most pathetic division. Their potent lineup has vastly improved since Manny Ramirez came over strengthening teammates James Loney, Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier. The key will be for Cubs pitchers to keep the guys in front of Manny off base so he can’t do much damage. Lou Piniella won’t let him beat them. So, it will be up to Manny’s teammates to come through.

The Cubs have a balanced attack with Alfonso Soriano, Derrek Lee, Aramis Ramirez, Mark DeRosa and certain NL ROY Geovany Soto. The pitching is about even with the red hot Derek Lowe taking on Ryan Dempster, who went 14-3 at Wrigley Field this year. Chad Billingsley faces Carlos Zambrano in Game 2 with Rich Harden battling Hiroki Kuroda in Game 3 and Greg Maddux getting the ball against Ted Lilly for Game 4. If it goes five, Lowe and Dempster would face off again.

The pens are about even with Chicago using the trio of rookie Jeff Samardzjia, setup man Carlos Marmol and closer Kerry Wood to shut the door. Rookie Cory Wade sets up while either Jonathan Broxton or Takashi Saito closes depending on Joe Torre.

The Cubs should have an edge in experience which could be huge at the plate if some of the younger Dodgers aren’t patient. This shapes up to be a good series but there’s too much at stake for the Cubs here.

Series Prediction: Cubs in 5

B.Phillies vs Brewers- Last year, the Phillies had a remarkable run to their first division title in 14 years stunning the Mets. The euphoria from that comeback was too much as the Rockies swept them. This October should be different because of last year’s experience. The goal wasn’t just to get there again but to win. This time, the Brewers are playing that role after winning five of six to slip past the Mets for the wild card clinching their first playoff berth since 1982 when they were in the AL East.

With C.C. Sabathia unable to pitch until tomorrow, that should be an edge for the Phils who even seem to have an advantage in starters with ace Cole Hamels dominating today’s first game fanning nine in eight innings. Not surprisingly in just his fourth outing this season, Yovani Gallardo struggled allowing a three-run third with Chase Utley’s two-run double and Shane Victorino’s bases loaded walk the difference. With Ben Sheets out for this round, the pressure falls on Sabathia who again will go on short rest against Brett Myers tomorrow. Jamie Moyer faces Jeff Suppan in Game 3 and Hamels returns for Game 4 against Dave Bush. If it goes five, it would be Myers against Sabathia with all bets off.

It’s hard not to like the Phils in this series due to a lethal attack of Utley, possible NL MVP Ryan Howard, Pat Burrell, Jimmy Rollins along with underrated contributors Jayson Werth and Shane Victorino. They should hit. Taking nothing away from Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun, J.J. Hardy and Corey Hart but this just isn’t their time.

Philly’s pen is also stronger with Scott Eyre and J.C. Romero setting up closer Brad Lidge, who took NL Comeback Player of The Year by going 41-of-41 in save opportunities. It’ll still be interesting to see how the ex-Astro fares in October with memories of Albert Pujols taking him yard. He didn’t look great today giving up a run while putting the tying runs in scoring position before K-ing Hart to save it for Hamels. The Brewers rely on Guillermo Mota to setup closer Salomon Torres who was very shaky in September. It might be wise to use Todd Coffey and Mark DiFelice more. Starter Manny Parra also is available.

All signs point to the Phillies. They have a better offense, more pitching, a solid bench and valuable experience.

Series Prediction: Phillies in 4

C.Angels vs Red Sox- This is the hardest match-up to call as it pits the experienced defending champion Red Sox against baseball’s best team during the regular season, the Angels who hit the century mark in wins.

For Mike Scioscia’s club, the pressure is on to get the monkey off their back versus a team that’s historically owned them in October. Dating back to 1986 when they rallied from 3-1 down to advance to the World Series, Boston’s won nine straight postseason games against the Halos. Something’s gotta give.

Their lineup is improved with first base slugger Mark Teixeira added to a middle of the order featuring vets Torii Hunter and Vlad Guerrero trying to get in table setters Chone Figgins and Garret Anderson. They better hit because even post-Manny, a Red Sox lineup that includes MVP candidates Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis along with always dangerous slugger David Ortiz will. They also got good news as J.D. Drew pronounced himself ready to go if needed for tonight’s first game. Mike Lowell probably should be back too. Toss in deadline pickup Jason Bay and speedy rookie center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury and Boston’s loaded.

The pitching match-ups are intriguing with John Lackey facing Jon Lester tonight, Dice-K versus Ervin Santana Friday and Joe Saunders taking on Josh Beckett in Game Three. Lackey and Lester will also go in Game 4 and ditto for Daisuke Matsuzaka and Santana if it goes the distance. Both teams possess good starters but I’ll give a slight edge to the Red Sox trio.

The Angels will have an edge in the pen with Scot Shields setting up record setting closer Francisco Rodriguez (62 saves). Rookie Jose Arredondo and Darren Oliver also are frequent contributors. Terry Francona will rely heavily on the duo of Hideki Okajima and closer Jonathan Papelbon, who was up and down in the final month due to coming in a few games in the eighth. He might be gassed. Manny Delcarmen and Javier Lopez should also be called upon out of the pen along with promising rookie Justin Masterson.

This series could depend on if the Angels hit. They never have had much success against Boston. Either way, it shapes up as a five-game series.

Series Prediction: Red Sox in 5

D.Rays vs White Sox- You have the new kids on the block against a very experienced bunch who have been here before. If the AL East winning Rays aren’t fazed by their first ever October, they should have enough to get through the White Sox.

Joe Maddon’s scrappy bunch pitch better and find ways to win games despite only two consistent power threats in certain AL ROY Evan Longoria and 101 RBI man Carlos Pena. The good news is that Carl Crawford is back which should give the lineup a boost. Speedy center fielder B.J. Upton (67 SB) and backstop Dioner Navarro also are part of the mix. Veterans Cliff Floyd and Eric Hinske provide leadership. Hinske usually comes off the bench as does utility specialist Willy Aybar.

The White Sox will have a huge power advantage with veterans Ken Griffey, Jr., Jermaine Dye, Jim Thome, Paul Konerko and Nick Swisher all threats to go deep. Toss in talented rookie second baseman Alexei Ramirez (21 HR, 77 RBI, 13 SB) and Ozzie Guillen’s club has plenty of offense. A.J. Pierzynski might be universally hated but can get the job done. Just imagine if they had first base slugger Carlos Quentin.

The question is are the White Sox too reliant on the home run? The Rays boast a good pitching staff with 14-game winner James Shields matching up against Javier Vazquez in Games 1 and 5. Scott Kazmir goes against Mark Buehrle in a battle of southpaws for Game 2. Game 3 pits Matt Garza against Gavin Floyd in what promises to be a good match-up between young hurlers. Andy Sonnanstine gets the ball in Game 4 versus White Sox hero John Danks.

The White Sox pen is basically Octavio Dotel handing off to closer Bobby Jenks. Matt Thornton and Scott Linebrink also contribute. Tampa has a distinct edge with the trio of Grant Balfour, J.P. Howell and veteran sidearmer Chad Bradford setting up for veteran closer Troy Percival. There’s also Dan Wheeler who saved 13 while Percival was out. Plus lefty Trever Miller. If a starter gets into trouble, Maddon can also bring in former 2007 first overall pick David Price, who was very sharp after being recalled posting a 1.93 ERA fanning 12 in 14 innings with opponents hitting just .176.

If a game is tight late, you have to like the Rays.

Series Prediction: Rays in 4

Here are the rest of my October picks:

ALCS: Red Sox over Rays in 6

NLCS: Cubs over Phillies in 5

World Series: Cubs over Red Sox in 7

WS MVP: Aramis Ramirez, Cubs

-And so, the New York baseball season is over and it really does feel weird that both the Mets and Yankees won’t be playing meaningful baseball as October gets ready to hit. I just can’t remember what this felt like. Sure. The two teams both finished with identical records winning 89 games which meant they didn’t stink by any stretch but when you have the kind of payrolls they do, so many expectations come with it for this spoiled city which makes it all the more disappointing.

In the end, both teams despite big names proved to be flawed which was why they fell short in their postseason bids. Injuries aside, the Yankees didn’t have enough pitching or timely hitting. For some reason, they never hit the way they could’ve and too often couldn’t deliver in the clutch. That along with being a very streaky team which sometimes lacked energy kept them from putting together that run with their best ball coming way too late when the season was already lost.

The Mets also had their share of injuries but severely underperformed the first 10 weeks getting Willie Randolph axed before waking up under Jerry Manuel to get back in the race. Despite no pen to speak of, they persevered and once again were in great position to win their division before it all came crashing down in the final couple of weeks though not as badly as last year. While the pen could never be trusted and cost them a ton of games, what was most baffling was the offense which at times disappeared. How do you explain getting shutout 1-0 against the majors’ worst team the Nats? And what about scoring only five runs in the do or die weekend series against the same Marlins who danced on their field eliminating them last year? Questions will continue to linger about David Wright and Jose Reyes until they stop disappearing and carry this team back to October and beyond.

Now, it will be a long offseason for Omar Minaya with plenty of angry customers wondering why next year will be different at Citi Field. Getting a real second baseman while unloading Luis Castillo along with revamping the bullpen are just a couple of topics he must address with new record closer Francisco Rodriguez at the top of the list. It’s also likely Pedro Martinez pitched his final game as a Met after struggling mightily. And then there’s Oliver Perez, who will be seeking a deal in the neighborhood of $12-16 million per year under greedy agent Scott Boras$. Is he really worth that kind of money longterm? I say no. He’s just too unpredictable to get to that next level. What about Carlos Delgado? Do they pick up the $12 million option rewarding him for his brilliant second half or do they try to get younger going for better defense? If they let him go, it won’t be easy to replace his big bat.

As for the Yankees, they will need to decide on center field moving forward along with what they intend to do with Joba Chamberlain. If they make him a starter, then they must continue to shore up their pen. Bringing back 20-game winner Mike Mussina should be at the top of Brian Cashman’s list. Figure Andy Pettite to either retire or go elsewhere following a dismal second half. The Yanks of course need a real ace and should be in the running for C.C. Sabathia, John Lackey or A.J. Burnett with him expected to opt out of Toronto. There’s also the first base situation where they could be competing with the Angels and Mets for Mark Teixeira. Figure Jason Giambi to go elsewhere after a productive season proving he can still be a valuable DH somewhere. As for Bobby Abreu, he’s a solid run producer who gets on base but leaves something to be desired for in right which is why we see Xavier Nady shifting.

Whatever transpires over the next three months, New York baseball fans know full well their rosters won’t look the same following a quiet October.

Get ready for chaos.

-Just in case we forgot, there’s still one more regular season game to be played later today when the Twins visit the Windy City against the White Sox, who earned the one-game home playoff by getting a grand slam from overlooked rookie second baseman Alexei Ramirez in an 8-2 win over the Tigers in a makeup game Monday. They get the game despite winning their first in six thanks to the Twins dropping two of three to the Royals despite sweeping three from Ozzie Guillen’s club to pull half a game up. It’ll be John Danks going on three days rest against Nick Blackburn to decide the AL Central for the final playoff berth.

One team will advance to play the Tampa Bay Rays in the Division Series while Boston travels to California to meet the 100-win Angels.

The NL of course is all set with the Cubs taking on the Dodgers while the Phillies host the Brewers, who are in their first postseason in 26 years.

We’ll have more playoff stuff later on.

-It’s hard to choose one between each but our pick for NL MVP would be Ryan Howard for how he carried the Phillies the final month having one of the best Septembers eerily similar to when he clubbed 58 home runs and knocking in 149 to win the award two years ago. I’ve always been a huge fan of Manny Ramirez and he sure stepped up carrying the Dodgers in the final two months impacting their lineup while coming back to win the NL West. But it’s hard to pick him over Howard with how well the first base slugger finished leading his team to a 13-3 record over the final 16 pressure packed games in a very tight race.

-The same could be said for the NL Cy Young where worthy candidates like Johan Santana, Brandon Webb and Tim Lincecum all are in the running against Milwaukee rental Sabathia, who tossed a remarkable seven complete games pacing the league while turning in a money performance following Santana’s gem to get the Brewers in. For that, we’ll give the nod to Sabathia over Lincecum with Santana third and Webb fourth.

-AL MVP is a little easier and could depend on if the Twins win with Justin Morneau once again in the running against Boston tandem Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis. It’s hard to ignore Carlos Quentin’s impact with the White Sox, who haven’t been the same since he went down. To be honest, he would’ve been a lock had he not broken his wrist. If the Twins get in, Morneau should win his second MVP in three years this time edging another do everything infielder Pedroia, who resembles a young Derek Jeter. If not, give the award to Pedroia because he’s been his team’s best player since the Manny trade.

-As for AL Cy Young, Cliff Lee should get the nod handily edging out K-Rod, Dice-K and Roy Halladay. I know he won’t get a lot of consideration but Moose deserves a few votes for how well he pitched in the Bronx this year.

-What else can Joe Girardi be two-faced about and purposely hide from the media?

-It’s nice to see Brett Favre finally be allowed to open it up and get on the same page with Laveranues Coles, who caught three touchdowns for the first time in his career- half of Favre’s career high six in the Jets’ 56-35 win over Kurt Warner and the Cards. I just wonder if Gang Green fans can be pleased about their D turning a 34-0 halftime cushion into a game by allowing three straight TDs in the third quarter before Favre and the Jet offense put it away.

-Did anyone ever think the Bills and Titans would both be the only remaining unbeatens in the AFC looking like playoff locks?

-How come Terrell Owens always blames Dallas defeats on not getting him involved enough when it was about as believable as anything Sarah Palin says? Can’t he ever give credit to the opponent because the Redskins played a heck of a game and have certainly turned things around since the NFL Opener defeat to the Giants? But hey. T-Ho will always be a selfserving primadona who doesn’t care about the team concept despite his talent which is why I’d never take him on my team.

-I could do a better job than Scott Linehan did with the Rams.

-It sure took long enough for the Lions to realize Matt Millen wasn’t a good Team President. I wonder what keyed them in on that.

-When someone takes shots at the Yanks and Mets for not qualifying, just remember you could be the Tigers who gave up the world for Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis, who now looks like a serious rebuilding project. Tell ya one thing. Cameron Maybin sure looks good in center for the Marlins. And if Andrew Miller pans out, that’s gonna be one heck of a rotation in 2009. The Mets and Phillies might have some competition for the NL East.

-Just how ridiculous is Jim Dolan? Idiotic enough to continue bringing back Allan Houston while refusing to payoff Stephon Marbury to get him off the Knicks roster. That’s why no matter who’s running it, they’ll always be the same laughingstock.

-Now would be a good time to tell the Rangers that the NHL regular season begins in a few days over in Europe cause they have looked really bad so far. I wonder what Glen Sather thinks now of investing six years and six and a half per on Wade Redden. Just wait till the season starts up. You ain’t seen nothing yet.

-What I like about the Giant organization is they stick to their rules disciplining Plaxico Burress for missing two straight days of practice even if it was due to a personal family matter. The wideout still should’ve communicated better this way he wouldn’t be fined and have to sit out next week’s home game versus Seattle. However, there aren’t any excuses and no exceptions under Coach Coughlin which is why I believe this team can repeat. They get it!

-Someone might want to tell Jerry Jones that this isn’t the 50’s anymore when he last played organized football. He doesn’t belong on the sideline.

-Boomer and Carton are a fun listen on WFAN in the morning because they work well and have solid chemistry. Listening to them rant over the Mets’ latest disappointment was good radio. Loved Carton’s nickname for Wright for failing to deliver in the clutch: “D-Rod.” A reference to Alex Rodriguez.

-I feel bad for diehard Met fans like Steve Somers, Tony Paige, Evan Roberts and Joe Benigno, who live and die with their team all year long. You can feel the emotion and terrible bitterness in their voices. Particularly Somers, who last week coming back from a great Weezer concert sounded heartbroken over a costly extra inning defeat to the Cubs. You could really tell how badly he wanted to see them get in and reverse last year.

They all did and showed so much. Maybe if the Mets had played with as much energy as they brought to the WFAN airwaves, they wouldn’t be sitting home instead getting ready for Lou Piniella’s Cubs. They might get paid to talk sports but they wear the Mets’ logo as a badge of honor as did outstanding play-by-play man Howie Rose.

Nobody ever likes to get their hearts broken. Especially by their favorite sports team which is what can make following sports so crazy. One minute, you’re as high as the sky and the next you feel like burying yourself under the sand.

It’s the real diehards who never abandon ship who shall always get my sorrows. Cause it takes a lot sometimes to stay with a team that constantly gives you heartache.

It’s deja boo all over again. How does one explain it? Two straight Septembers on the final day against the same opponent at home, the Mets season ended in awful fashion at the hands of the division rival Marlins.

Imagine making more baseball history but only the wrong kind becoming the first ever team to lead their division by at least three and a half games with the same 17 games left only to miss two straight postseasons. How could it happen all over again? Sure. The way it did was very different than last year’s season finale in which the Marlins pummeled Tom Glavine into oblivion routing them 8-1 in a game which was over before you were in your seat.

This time, they got five shutout innings from future free agent Oliver Perez matching zeros with Florida southpaw Scott Olsen. Trouble was this was the same opposing starter they’d banged around in three previous outings to the tune of over a 7.00 ERA. Suddenly, the Mets couldn’t hit him which meant the longer the game remained scoreless, the worse feeling you got. Why couldn’t they use the momentum from one of the greatest games pitched by a Met and jump all over him?

Only this team could not take anything into another do or die situation off a brilliant performance from Johan Santana, who dominated the Marlins on three days rest much the way John Maine flirted with the franchise’s first no-hitter on another Saturday a year ago. Instead, the final regular season game at Shea Stadium soon teased a packed house into Believing’ like the team mantra that it would be different when Carlos Beltran answered Florida’s pair of runs with a two-run home run in the sixth to tie it.

But they were in store for an even more heartbreaking conclusion because thanks to the rain, the Brewers and Cubs were playing at the same time with Chicago holding a 1-0 lead until a seventh inning bases loaded Craig Counsell walk forced in the tying run. Suddenly, you had two teams both tied late with no clue whether one would take the wild card or both would wind up in a one-game playoff which would’ve taken place later today at Shea. Any Met fan after Friday night would’ve signed for that.

However, it just wasn’t meant to be as two eighth innings couldn’t have played out any more different cause while Florida pinch hitter Wes Helms greeted Scott Schoeneweis’ first and only pitch with a leadoff homer and Dan Uggla followed suit taking Luis Ayala deep for a 4-2 lead, there was Milwaukee left field slugger Ryan Braun taking Bob Howry’s first pitch out to left for a go-ahead two-run blast providing ace C.C. Sabathia with a 3-1 lead. Plenty for the rental who like Santana pitched on short rest a third straight time finishing the game for his NL best seventh complete game in 17 starts.

Ironically, Braun’s 37th came about two minutes later fully aware they got help from a Marlin team which once again got the last laugh celebrating for the final time on the Mets’ home field.

Somewhere, Willie Randolph had to be smiling. Though replacement Jerry Manuel certainly did a respectable job turning around a flawed team which somehow wasn’t fixed by Omar Minaya, who’s about to be renewed for the same four years he gave to Luis Castillo, who lost his spot at second to fourth string journeyman Ramon Martinez this weekend.

If you want to blame the Mets pigpen for this, it would be very easy to but what about the offense? Where was it? They did nothing in the series opener following one of the most improbable two out rallies before beating the Cubs. And in a game which Santana had to be near perfect in, New York managed just two runs on six hits stranding 10 while striking out 10 times against opposing starter Ricky Nolasco- one more than their Cy caliber stud had.

You still would’ve believed they could muster more than they came up with on the final Sunday of the season. They would be inspired after such a magnificent performance. Not exactly. If not for Beltran’s 27th, they get blanked on just three more hits with everything on the line.

Sure. They didn’t go quietly putting the tying runners on base before veteran Arthur Rhodes got Carlos Delgado to line out to deep left to end the eighth.

Of course, David Wright made yet another useless weakly popping to second starting off the ninth to boos. Endy Chavez, who made a great diving catch in the seventh robbing Jorge Cantu of a go-ahead double couldn’t come through at the plate bouncing back to ex-Met Matt Lindstrom for the second out. Too bad they didn’t keep him dealing him away for virtually nothing three years ago.

At least one of the few character guys Damion Easley came up and worked a walk to send the tying run Ryan Church to the plate allowing everyone in the place to stand praying for one more Miracle of ‘69. He gave a Lindstrom offering a ride to deep right center but it unfortunately didn’t have enough distance allowing Florida’s Cameron Maybin to get to the edge of the track and squeeze the final out of the Mets season breaking more hearts on a day they closed Shea for good.

Somehow after another bitter conclusion, they pulled off a very nice ceremony honoring heroes of the past which ranged from Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman, Cleo Jones, Tommy Agee, Mike Piazza, John Franco, Al Leiter, Robin Ventura to ‘86 members Keith Hernandez, Ron Darling, Sid Fernandez, Bob Ojeda, Gary Carter, Dwight Gooden, Darryl Strawberry, Howard Johnson, Len Dykstra, Wally Backman and the man who closed out the Astros and Red Sox Jesse Orosco, who fans must’ve wished they still had.

What remains are lingering questions as to how the Mets couldn’t deliver one big hit with runners in scoring position going 0-for-11 the entire series. Can anyone explain what happened to leading RBI man Wright who tied one of the all-time great Mets Piazza for a share of the franchise RBI record (124)? Why does the third baseman who’s one of two cornerstones along with Jose Reyes always seem to falter in the clutch? Speaking of the speedy Met shortstop who leads off, he had only a couple of hits in the series and another disappointing final month hitting .243 despite playing much better under Manuel.

Something’s missing which is pretty apparent to everyone except for Minaya and club owner Jeff Wilpon, who seems to believe this team “overachieved” as opposed to last year’s epic collapse.

Wrong. Injuries are part of sports and while they did lose closer Billy Wagner, Maine the final month, Church an extended period due to the team’s mishandling of his second concussion and Pedro Martinez a couple of months, they still had a healthy Santana, Perez and emerging Mike Pelfrey in their rotation along with their top five run producers.

The Yankees had their share of injuries too and didn’t make any excuses for missing their first October in 14 seasons knowing full well they underachieved which wasn’t acceptable.

You try to win with the hand you’re dealt and the fact is that these Mets led the Phillies again with 17 to play but faltered down the stretch due to poor performances against the Braves and Nationals before the final week turned into an emotional rollercoaster alternating wins and losses. Unfortunately, they began Monday with a defeat and were due for a loss yesterday.

When you go out and steal an ace like Santana, there are no more excuses. It shouldn’t have happened again.

Instead, the Mets saw their shadow with the groundhog apparently closing Shea for good.

He wanted the ball on short rest from Jerry Manuel and got it saving his team’s season. Johan Santana pitched one of the greatest games in Mets history yesterday going on three days rest to shutout the Marlins 2-0 helping the Queens club tie the Brewers for the wild card due to Milwaukee’s 7-3 home defeat at the hands of the Cubs.

Now it comes down to another Sunday late in September at Shea just like last year against the very same Florida team who still can spoil the final ever regular season game at the old ballpark. However, that wouldn’t be possible without the former Twin two-time AL Cy Young winner pitching like an ace earning every penny of his big contract for his 16th victory improving to 9-0 in 17 starts since late June.

The best aspect was that the 29 year-old southpaw demanded to pitch taking on the large responsibility for a flawed team which is real thin on pitching. Right away, you could tell Santana had superb stuff with his fastball hitting 94 on the gun and his bread and butter slider change biting out of the strike zone fooling batters.

This was the kind of special performance which can energize a team desperately looking for a much better result than the morgue Shea turned into last year. But wasn’t it John Maine who was utterly brilliant on a Saturday giving that team life before Tom Glavine destroyed it in less than one inning? Why will it be different this time? You might say because this Met team has a pulse and is much more together under Manuel wanting October so badly despite no bullpen to speak of.

They fight to the bitter end this time and don’t want today to be the last ever game played at Shea before they move into their new park next store at Citi Field. It’s not possible without Santana who has had exactly the kind of second half he needed turning around a so/so season into the NL’s best ERA lowering it to 2.53 and putting himself in play for the Cy Young. Though the field should be packed with contenders including Milwaukee rental C.C. Sabathia, who’ll be once again going on short rest trying to deliver the same sort of virtuoso performance to make Brewer fans forget that their team hasn’t seen the postseason in 26 years when they were still in the AL East.

Santana’s shall be a tough act to follow after how he dialed up 117 more pitches following a career high 125 in a win over the Cubs Tuesday to three-hit a dangerous hitting Marlin team. With his team up a pair in the fifth, he escaped a bases loaded two out jam by getting rookie catcher John Baker to line out to right fielder Ryan Church who was positioned perfectly preserving the two-run lead.

From that point, he only got stronger cruising through the next three innings by getting a few batters to chase that change which helped him ring up nine strikeouts.

“I just went out there and tried to finish it. I didn’t do anything crazy,” he later acknowledged. “I knew the situation we were in.”

“It’s the best thing I’ve ever seen, given the situation,” praised potential Monday sudden death starter Pedro Martinez.

At 104 after eight which was right around Manuel’s limit, there was no doubt that he wasn’t coming out of such a crucial game. Not with the hardest three outs to get. Especially if you root for these Mets.

“You couldn’t have pulled him out. He wouldn’t have let you,” the cool skipper said while going on to add:

“How many did he pitch? How many did he throw? Wow, wow, wow, wow. I think if I had to describe that one, I would say that was gangsta. That was real gangsta.”

When it looked like he’d finish without any drama, a one out Josh Willingham double off the left field wall made things interesting again. Still a couple of outs to go. But then Santana made Dan Uggla look silly chasing three changes for out two.

One more. Even if you weren’t a Met fan, you had to be into it wanting to see him finish such a gem. He quickly got ahead of Cody Ross 0-2 before the count went to 1-2. One more pitch would do it but what would it be without making Met fans hearts race?

Then Ross put a really good swing on one of the few Santana pitches which got enough of the plate sending it deep making fans fear the worst. Could it possibly be? But much like Met great Mike Piazza’s home run swing off Mariano Rivera which turned into the final out of the 2000 World Series, Ross’ ball died on the warning track safely into left fielder Endy Chavez’ glove.

Game over. Met season saved and very much in play thanks to Lou Piniella, who wisely pulled Jason Marquis when the Brewers suddenly had them loaded down a run before Michael Wuertz got dangerous first base slugger Prince Fielder to bounce into an inning ending twin killing. In a previous match-up versus Marquis, he had a bases clearing double in the Brew Crew’s only win in three last week at Wrigley.

The Met season probably hung in the balance with that at bat. Instead, Wuertz induced the ground ball and the Cubs got insurance off struggling Milwaukee closer Salomon Torres highlighted by Kosuke Fukudome’s two-run home run and then tacked on one more for good measure.

“It’s obviously been a roller-coaster ride,” Milwaukee interim manager Dale Sveum pointed out after his team blew a five and a half game WC lead before passing the Mets only to have their five-game win streak stopped making Game 162 a must win. “But the fact of the matter is, when we started, if somebody said, ‘You’re tied after game 161, would you take that in spring training?’ Thirty teams would have done that.”

Now we get another riveting conclusion to a wild season which won’t soon be forgotten. The Mets will send out Oliver Perez hoping the good one will show up at the ballpark when he takes on fellow lefty Scott Olsen. They’ll honor their past before the big game and then start up less than an hour before Sabathia gets the ball against Cub no-name Angel Guzman, who’s subbing in place of Carlos Zambrano much to Met fans’ chagrin.

Such is the situation when the NL’s best team has nothing to play for and will probably sit out many regulars in preparation for Wednesday.

“I didn’t think about tomorrow, I thought about today,” Santana added while keeping perspective for why he had such success.

Now, it all comes down to this with a possible one game playoff at Shea tomorrow if necessary.

Martinez then appropriately shouted as he departed the one word which sums it up:

“Manana!”

Only time shall tell for these Amazin’s.

They’re not even my baseball team. It’s always been known that I root for the other New York team known as the Yankees, who this time weren’t good enough to make October. They just never got untracked and by the time they played their best ball, it was way too late to help the cause.

Sure. It’s nice that they’re still playing hard since they closed Yankee Stadium having taken nine of 10 after last night’s 19-8 drubbing of the archrival Red Sox in Fenway helped insure Tampa Bay’s first ever AL East Division Title. How cool is that? I sure hope the Rays do well in their first ever postseason as Joe Maddon’s gritty ballclub deserves all the kudos they get! More than you can say for Joe Girardi’s first season as Yankee skipper and his rocky relationship with the press which he caused by purposely lying about some of his players’ health status.

While the circus will be officially letting out of the Bronx Zoo Monday after a great 13-year ride, that other New York team is driving their fans nuts wondering if they’ll somehow make the playoffs or if it will be another September to forget. The last three days still can’t be explained unless you’re a Met fan.

I’ve never really cared one way or another since I was a little kid rooting for the 1986 Amazin’ Mets take this city on a wild ride nobody will ever forget. If you were around, you know where you were the day Bill Buckner let Mookie Wilson’s little trickler as legendary announcer Vince Scully called it get through his legs into right field allowing a disbelieving Ray Knight to score the winning run in one of the greatest two out rallies in World Series history. I can still see the WS MVP’s hands on his helmet. It’s just one of those defining moments which stands out along with all the unbelievable two strike two out base hits Davey Johnson’s destined ballclub strung together to shock the Red Sox and NBC.

Twenty two years later, here is another resilient exciting gritty bunch facing possible elimination from postseason contention today with their bread and butter ace Johan Santana taking the ball on three days rest against a Marlins team who openly has stated they want to end their season just like last year. The question is will the heavy rain forecast for today’s game at Shea delay making baseball’s most schizo fanbase wait even longer?

In such a topsy turvy roller coaster ride of emotions since the personable Jerry Manuel took over for Willie Randolph in June, why not? What’s another 24 hours for these Met fans who are living and dying with every pitch? The dying of course should be underlined considering the kind of stinging losses their team has inflicted making something which seemed so promising a week prior look so dire because now the Mets need help from Lou Piniella’s Cubs, who are getting ready for October resting guys in Milwaukee this weekend.

Not only must Santana deliver another big performance on short rest for just the second time in his career but his team will be curiously watching the scoreboard hoping for Cubbies to cross home plate against Ben Sheets, who’s taking the ball despite questions about his arm in hopes of getting the Brewers to their first serious baseball in 26 years.

The Mets need a win and a Brewer loss to at least have destiny in their own hands for Sunday’s final scheduled regular season games. Somehow, they want to come out with two wins and hope Milwaukee splits so there’s at least a one-game playoff to be played in Queens due to New York winning the coin flip.

Cause at the moment, the NL East looks lost as the Phillies have played tremendous down the stretch winning 11 of 14 thanks in large part to NL MVP candidate Ryan Howard, who slugged a three-run homer and had an RBI double knocking in half in their 8-4 win over the majors worst team the Nationals. The same one which took the first two drawing a split of four against those Mets last week when things looked much more hopeful. Then, the division was realistic. Now, they’re two behind with two to play and the Phillies’ Magic No. is down to one. So, one win or a Met defeat will seal a second consecutive NL East to Charlie Manuel’s bunch.

How did the Amazin’s get into this pickle? Well, losing two to Washington and two of three to the hated Braves in Atlanta wasn’t exactly the recipe. It still pales in comparison to what’s taken place this week. Even if you were the most optimistic Met fan, you didn’t want to see the Cubs at Shea for four because that’s how good they really are. Piniella sat out star players in every game and still came away with a split.

Santana of course won his game tossing a career high 125 pitches in eight frames fanning 10 Tuesday to even up the series. Everyone knows what happened the next night where this team suffered their most excruciating loss of the year blowing so many golden opportunities to win the game in one of those final at bats. If only David Wright didn’t chase ball four with bright eyed rookie Daniel Murphy 90 feet away with nobody out. If only the bad Oliver Perez didn’t show up spoiling Carlos Delgado’s grand slam for what should’ve been a win. If. A word which might be repeated often by a frustrated fanbase dying to see their team come through erasing last year’s bitter memories.

Such a defeat had fans exasperated fearing the worst even leaving NY SportsDay colleague Joe McDonald to declare the Met season finished.

But with this team, you knew better. Under Manuel, despite not having any pen to speak of with no Billy Wagner, this team has always responded well to adversity. They showed plenty of heart Thursday never giving up coming back from three down against the Cubs with the kinda improbable two out eighth inning rally which made even this guy think maybe they’re destined for special things. How could one not when Carlos Beltran beat out an infield hit and then Ryan Church followed with another hit to keep it going?

Then, it was little used reserve second baseman Ramon Martinez who is of no relation to Pedro’s older brother and former Dodger delivering the big hit getting his desperate team a run closer. By now as I was driving home from a meaningless Lightning-Rangers exhibition game, I knew third string catcher Robinson Cancel would somehow come through because if Martinez, who entered with one hit the entire year could get a hit, so too would another journeyman delivering a tying single but not without dramatics. Church was a dead duck but even without sliding, he somehow eluded the tag touching home plate to miraculously tie the game 6-6.

Howie Rose’s excitement on WFAN was at a decibel level. You could feel the little kid in him coming out. Why not? This Met team has been fun to watch even for opposing fans. In the ninth, it didn’t matter that Murphy missed a sign bunting foul for strike three with Jose Reyes on first. The lightning rod of the Met offense swiped second a batter later and would come around to score three batters later when Carlos Beltran walked off after Piniella intentionally walked Delgado putting two runners on. It didn’t matter if Wright again came up small striking out because Beltran was the hero allowing his team to celebrate along with the 20,000 loyal fans who remained despite lots of wind swept rain.

There were the Mets saving their season because the Brewers a few minutes later responded with Ryan Braun’s first career grand slam in the 10th sweeping the Pirates to keep pace. You had to feel good though because they were still tied for the wild card and only a game behind the Phils, who dropped two of three to Atlanta.

Then came last night where the Marlins immediately scored a pair of runs off Mike Pelfrey beating him for the fourth time this season by a count of 6-1. The troubling aspect was it looked too easy despite all the runners the Mets left on base the first few innings against rookie Chris Volstad. They just couldn’t muster up enough energy to carry the momentum from such a magical come from behind win.

Why not? Because this is who these Mets are this season. The weirdest team in baseball. Where one day they look like a serious contender who just won’t die. And then the next, they invent tough ways to lose or lay a proverbial egg like last night putting their season on the brink with the Brewers winning a fifth straight 5-1 over the Cubs and the Phils taking care of business.

So, do they have another miracle in them? It’s not entirely up to them but you can bet they’ll try their best to take Met fans home.

Hopefully not for good.

The Olympics are wrapping up finally this weekend in Beijing and the pennant races are heating up. Plus football is actually back with the annual Giants/Jets preseason tilt tonight. So, what’s floating around my brain? Shall we:

1.It’s pretty pathetic how bad our men’s and women’s relay teams performed botching routine handoffs of the baton to not even give themselves a shot of winning gold. Passing the baton is something which is taught during high school outdoor track as I can recall learning it along with teammates. You want to make sure to get the baton in the next runner’s hands. Making sure they secure it is vital. Of course, sometimes, as they begin to pull away, they don’t have it tucked away safely which also can lead to problems. It’s really all about communication and teamwork. If you work together, then it shouldn’t be an issue. Practice makes perfect. This was something NBC track and field analyst Otto Bolden referenced as unlike other countries, Team USA always has a wealth of options when choosing four runners. Perhaps that’s a disadvantage because there won’t be a lot of consistent reps going in which might be why our country embarrassed themselves a couple of nights ago.

Whatever the reason, we’ll never know if our Olympic men could’ve pushed the new world record 4×100 Jamaican holders, who led by triple gold medalist record holder Usain “Lightning” Bolt and Asafa Powell blitzed the field producing a record time of 37.10 easily beating out Trinidad and Tobago and bronze medalist Japan.

It should also be noted that botched handoffs also were the Jamaican women’s undoing in their 4×100 race opening the door for the Russian Federation to take the gold. Not only was their mishap brutal but it interfered with England’s lane forcing them to be disqualified too. What ashame.

2.Watching Bolt fly during that third leg putting distance between him and the other competitors to setup Powell’s final 100 for an easy victory was breathtaking. He also didn’t get a good handoff either but made sure to secure it and then just took off like an eagle soaring through the sky past everyone else. The 22 year-old is a freak of nature taking advantage of his 6-5 wingspan flying on the track. His Beijing performance will be remembered forever. Three Olympic golds. Three world records. Automatically a place with the greats. For more on what Bolt accomplished along with his country in track and field, yahoo’s Mike Powell had a good take on this along with the USA failures which produced the least gold medals since 1992 at Barcelona.

3.That USA men’s semifinal five set volleyball win over Russia was tremendous. Especially considering that they blew a two set cushion and allowed their opponents to gain momentum. But when the chips were down even after an iffy missed call, they persevered and came up golden with an awesome block to reach the gold medal round for the first time in 20 years. Great stuff!

4.Maybe next time Bernard Lagat will represent Kenya. Think he would’ve performed this miserably his home country? Just call it the American jinx as our long distance runners never seem to fare well.

5.Maybe it’s just me but doesn’t anyone really care if the Redeem Team takes gold? They’re supposed to.

6.Did anyone in the Yankee brass ever think their season would come down to Carl “DL” Pavano? Amazingly enough, he made it through one inning at Camden Yards unscathed and didn’t hurt himself yet. Don’t hold your breath!

7.Hey. When A-Rod and Giambino deliver clutch two out base knocks, maybe it explains how Pavano could be starting.

8.All the Mets do is keep winning games despite no Billy Wagner with even Luis Ayala tossing a perfect ninth last night fanning a pair to notch a save in a game Johan Santana maxed out tossing a career high 121 pitches during seven scoreless fanning eight. Best of all, the southpaw wanted to be out there begging Jerry Manuel to send him out for the seventh due to counterpart Roy Oswalt keeping it close and going the distance despite the loss:

“He pleaded, begged. ‘I don’t want to come out of this game,’ he said. … I had to give him the benefit of the doubt. It’s only fair to him what he’s brought to the team.”

When you’re a big ace with your team in a pennant race, that’s how it should be. About time.

9.DL Pavano Update: Pavano’s already given up four hits and they’re only in the second. He’ll be begging out by the next inning before he injures his pinky finger. I wish I was kidding.

10.I like how the Rays keep finding ways to win games despite two of their best players Evan Longoria and Carl Crawford out of action. Joe Maddon’s your Manager of the Year by a wide margin even if Ron Gardenhire somehow gets the Twins into the postseason minus Santana.

11.With a home run and five RBI’s, Pat Burrell became the third Phillie to reach the 30 home run mark this season joining teammates Chase Utley (31) and Ryan Howard (34) yet it still probably won’t be enough to beat out the Mets and make October. The Phils just don’t have enough pitching and really need last year’s MVP Jimmy Rollins to wake up. When Jayson Werth’s contributed more, that’s not a ringing endorsement for the mouthy shortstop who dissed Phillie fans. Isn’t it about time he shut up and played?

12.He slugged a three-run homer off John Maine for No.26 to go with over a .330 average and now more than 90 RBI’s. Yep. Even if Lance Berkman’s team isn’t going to see October, he’s right up there in the MVP race with Albert Pujols and Utley. David Wright should also get some consideration as he’ll finish in the top five in RBI’s and should eclipse 30 again. But figure teammate Jose Reyes to take away some votes with his huge second half.

13.DL Pavano Update: After loading the bases, the Birds cashed three in to go ahead 3-2 and now have six hits off the $40 million Man. So much for an awe inspiring outing with a certain YES Classic in the making.

14.Have you ever heard a broadcaster make as many excuses as Michael Kay does? After Johnny Damon made that second drop for the Jays’ winning run a few nights prior, he actually indicated it was because the center fielder didn’t tap his glove like he normally does to make catches. Give me a break. Between him and John Sterling and the irksome Suzyn Waldman on the radio, you can go nuts. Is this really what the Yankee broadcasts have become? A charade of buffoonery tooting their own horn.

15.Where are the American ‘contenders’ in this men’s Olympic marathon? Just saying.

16.DL Pavano Update: After surviving inning two, he’s already thrown 50 pitches with only 28 for strikes. The growing question is will his arm fall off?

I know his last two outings at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre stunk but you’re telling me Phil Hughes couldn’t have done better? Boy. Do the Yankees look foolish now not taking the Santana deal. As much as I was against it, they sure messed up and screwed up Hughes and Ian Kennedy’s development. They can still bounceback from this but who exactly is calling the shots? They don’t have a clue.

17.I wonder what Joe Torre thinks about all this as he tries to get his new team into the playoffs. Must be a relief to be away from the circus.

18.He’s been performing much better but Lastings Milledge still isn’t going to have a better season than Ryan Church, who missed so much time due to a concussion. Is that still a bad trade considering the loud ovation Church received in his return last night?

19.If C.C. Sabathia goes undefeated, he just might sneak in and win the NL Cy Young from Brandon Webb. Speaking of Cy contenders, good thing the Giants didn’t agree to trade Tim Lincecum for Alex Rios. Just imagine what he could do on a good team.

20.Doesn’t look like we’re missing much in the first half of this Giants/Jets battle.

21.Here are our U.S. Open picks:

Men’s Semis: (1) Nadal vs (6) Murray, (2) Federer) vs (3) Djokovic

Champion: Djokovic over Nadal in four sets

Women’s Semis: (6) Safina vs (7) V. Williams, (2) Jankovic vs (5) Dementieva

Champion: Safina over Jankovic

-The Mets pen actually didn’t fall apart for once in a Johan Santana start holding a one-run lead the final two frames for a hard fought 4-3 series opening win over the Nationals last night in the nation’s capital. After giving up a leadoff single to Austin Kearns on his first pitch, reliever Joe Smith buckled down striking out the next former Met pair Lastings Milledge and Jesus Flores swinging around a Kearns steal. He then got Ronnie Belliard to ground out to second setting the stage for lefty Pedro Feliciano to record the final three outs. He retired the side in order fanning the last two for his first save of the season and third career.

It allowed Santana to pickup his 10th victory. He permitted a tying pinch hit Ryan Langerhans solo shot in the seventh but got support thanks to Damion Easley being plunked with the bases loaded and an out in the eighth forcing in the deciding tally. Trying for more, Jerry Manuel sent up pinch hitter Brian Schneider for his ace, who went the first seven on three runs, eight hits, two walks, six K’s and just 94 pitches. Schneider struck out to end it. Some might wonder why he didn’t just have Santana bat there as the catcher isn’t a great hitter. But Manuel played by the book and came out on top anyway thanks to Smith and Feliciano, who didn’t make it the seventh time a Santana lead was blown.

Instead, the Amazin’s win allowed them to get within a game of the first place Phillies, who fell in Los Angeles for a second consecutive time losing 4-3 on an Andre Ethier walkoff hit. The Phils blew a 3-1 lead and wasted second baseman Chase Utley’s 30th home run. Manny Ramirez drove in a run and Casey Blake a pair including the tying sac fly in the eighth.
Meanwhile, the Marlins also gained ground with a 4-3 home win over the Cards scoring all their runs in the first two innings including Hanley Ramirez’ three-run homer (26th) which held up as the difference. Kevin Gregg pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his 26th save allowing Florida to remain half a game behind the Mets and a game and a half out of first.

-The Yanks got a much needed win last night in the Metro Dome 9-6 in 12 innings. They had led 4-3 on a Derek Jeter two out RBI base hit to center and increased to 6-3 on Bobby Abreu and Wilson Betemit RBI’s. But when struggling lefty Damaso Marte put a couple of runners on in the eighth, Joe Girardi called on Mariano Rivera to get a five out save. But he wasn’t up to the task serving up a tying three-run Delmon Young dinger off the foul pole to blow his first save in 29 chances. Rivera tossed a scoreless ninth and then Jose Veras came on for two perfect innings and a pair of K’s setting up the 12th. All season, Alex Rodriguez has struggled money situations but this time delivered a huge solo blast to dead center off Matt Guerrier putting his club ahead. Xavier Nady, who already drove in two on a double then added his sixth home run as a Yankee connecting for a two-run shot to give them some insurance. The former Pirate is batting .344 with six HR and 17 RBI’s in 17 games since they acquired him.
Edwar Ramirez closed it out for his first save.

The win snapped a four-game skid and allowed the Yanks to gain a game on first place Tampa Bay, who lost to Oakland 2-1. The problem is they still trail by eight and are five behind the Red Sox for the wild card after they won a wacky slugfest 19-17 over the Rangers at Fenway. The first inning saw Boston score 10 runs including two three-run homers by David Ortiz (both to right). However, they couldn’t hold leads of 10-0 and 14-2 allowing the Rangers to come all the way back due to eight in the fifth and five in the sixth highlighted by an Ian Kinsler three-run shot along with a barrage of hits and sac flies. Despite Marlon Byrd’s five hits and three knocked in, the Red Sox got the last laugh as Kevin Youkilis slugged his second long ball of the night- a three-run job in a four-run eighth to give the home club a football like 19-16 lead. Brandon Boggs’ pinch hit made it interesting giving the Rangers two shots to tie the game but Jonathan Papelbon got the final two batters for save No.32 to finally end a game which featured a combined 36 runs on 37 hits and four errors. Somehow, it took less than four hours to play.

Terry Francona would later remark:

“At some point, you’re thinking about going for a field goal.”

Texas skipper Ron Washington on his team’s resolve though they ultimately came up short:

“After that first inning when they had us down 10-0, I think everybody in the ballpark and everybody in all of Massachusetts thought that the game was over.”

According to Elias Sports Bureau, the last time a team rallied from 10 runs down to win was on May 8, 2004 by those Rangers, who turned the trick in a 16-15 10 inning win.

Simply amazing.

-It’s hard to comprehend the Mets after a lost weekend in Houston where they were swept by the Astros. Following a splendid Police concert last night at PNC Art Center in New Jersey, I overheard a distraught Met fan who pointed out to their friend that they should have won two of the three games. How right he was. They could’ve won Friday’s opener which was knotted at three before Mark Loretta took Aaron Heilman deep for an eighth inning grand slam. It had been a half inning earlier where they left the bases loaded with nobody out. Saturday saw ace Johan Santana not go deep enough despite allowing just a run on three hits on 103 pitches before exiting with a 4-1 lead in the seventh. Closer Billy Wagner couldn’t hold it giving up a bizarre tying Geoff Blum pinch hit two-run tying single in which Loretta and Hunter Pence came into score almost simultaneously with both sliding into home past Ramon Castro, who couldn’t apply the tag to either. Darin Erstad’s 10th inning sac fly which scored Lance Berkman gave the Astros a stunning 5-4 win.

Then there was yesterday in which Houston scored four times in two innings against Oliver Perez including a solo shot from former Met Ty Wigginton while his ex-club couldn’t do anything with the pedestrian Randy Wolf, who escaped a couple of tight situations including a bases loaded jam K-ing the final two batters en route to five scoreless and seven strikeouts for only his seventh victory. The Amazin’s were shutdown over the final four frames by the Houston pen falling for the fourth straight time.

It was just a week ago where the Mets had completed two of three from the Phils and then gained another game moving a game and a half up in the NL East with the Marlins in third. Here they are now behind Florida in the standings and trailing Philadelphia, who’s won five of six by three games. Not only that but Wagner will undergo an MRI for his strained left forearm tomorrow and could be sidelined meaning rookie Eddie Kunz might get the call. The 22 year-old former 2007 first round pick who pitched last year with Brooklyn and was in Double-A Binghamton this season tossed a 1-2-3 inning last night in his major league debut. Still, if Wagner is out, it would be immense pressure to put on the kid out of Oregon State.

The Mets also put SP John Maine (rotator cuff strain) on the DL not wanting to take any chances. Anytime you’re dealing with the rotator cuff, you have to use precaution. Hopefully, he won’t be out too long and be able to contribute down the stretch of the pennant race.

The growing question is who are these Mets? The team which underperformed miserably getting Willie Randolph axed or the team which looked like world beaters for a month under Jerry Manuel. Or are they somewhere in the middle? On paper, they’re the best team in the NL East even if Pedro Martinez isn’t what he once was. Jose Reyes and Carlos Delgado continue to swing hot bats and David Wright continues to drive in runs. Can Fernando Tatis keep up his torrid pace? The one Met who’s underachieved is star center fielder Carlos Beltran. Our fave Daily News columnist Mike Lupica had an interesting take yesterday about Beltran being the city’s biggest offensive disappointment. Hard to argue even if he still has knocked in 73 which ranks second to Wright on the club. The .266 average and 15 homers aren’t enough which might explain why Manuel moved Beltran into the No.2 hole between Reyes and Wright. That’s not where you’d expect the $119 million man to hit but too often he’s up and down failing to deliver in key moments. If Beltran got hot, that would probably vault the Mets over the Marlins and Phillies. The question remains when?

-Speaking of Beltran, remember a couple of winters back when there was discussion about maybe trading him for Manny Ramirez? Don’t you think fans of the club in Queens wish Omar Minaya had pursued it? Heck. He could’ve packaged Lastings Milledge in a deal for the slugger. In his first season with the Nationals after being dealt for Ryan Church and Brian Schneider, the former Mets’ 2003 first round pick is hitting .243 with nine dingers, 36 RBI’s, 39 runs scored and 14 steals in 89 games thus far while having a stint on the DL. Tell ya one thing. If he ever returns healthy and to form, Church can make a big difference in that Met lineup making everyone forget about Milledge, who hasn’t exactly lit it up yet.

-I know they cameback to win yesterday 14-9 scoring six in the eighth in which the Angels committed an uncharacteristic three errors helping them out big time to gain a split of a four-game series but what exactly was Joe Girardi thinking leaving Edwar Ramirez in to face slugger Mark Teixeira from the left side after it was clear that the reliever was struggling? Was anyone really surprised when the recently acquired first baseman crushed a Ramirez offering for a go-ahead grand slam into the short porch? Isn’t that why the Yanks went out and got lefty Damaso Marte?

-Another thing. Girardi’s supposed to be this great manager but how many times are we going to see him send Mariano Rivera out for the ninth in a tie game only to see the lights out closer give it up? He might still be the best closer in the game even if K-Rod has saved 45 and celebrates every single one like Reyes rounding the bases for a homer. However, Mo isn’t the same pitcher in tie games. Too often Girardi’s gotten burned. Maybe it’s time for another plan cause the way I see it, his ballclub needs as many wins as possible with the first place Rays continuing to win and the Red Sox holding serve.

-Nice to see deadline pickup Xavier Nady paying dividends for the Bronx Bombers, homering and driving in six in yesterday’s win. So far, so good for the one-time Met.

-Is there any other Yankee you want hitting in a big spot than Bobby Abreu? All the right fielder does is come through with hits like the opposite field tying one in Sunday’s wacky game. When he does get a hold of one, that home run stroke is very pretty to watch. Question is will the Yanks re-sign him or does Nady replace him in right next year? We’ll have to wait and see.

-Only Manny Ramirez could pull off wearing No.99 in Dodger blue and not missing a beat.

-Congrats to Rafael Nadal, who will officially overtake Roger Federer for the No.1 ranking when it gets released following the Olympics. The 22 year-old scintillating Spaniard who became the first male player to sweep the French and Wimbledon since Bjorn Borg in 1980 deserves it. He was already thought of as the best player after winning that remarkable classic over Federer. Now, he’ll become the third ever player (Carlos Moya-1999, Juan Carlos Ferrero-2003) from his country to be No.1 in the world. About damn time!

-As for Federer, it’s getting harder to believe him when he is reduced to saying he doesn’t care about losing a spot he held for a record 235 weeks after inexplicably falling in the second round at Cincinnati to big server Ivo Karlovic. Heck. He needed three sets to beat one-time U.S. Open semifinalist Robby Ginepri who wore out due to the heat. I’ve always been a huge fan of the 12-time slam winner who will still attempt to make it five straight U.S. Opens this Fall. However, more and more it’s looking like it’s going to be a much tougher hill to climb if he wants to match Pete Sampras’ record 14 slams. We’re going to find out an awful lot about the 26 year-old Swiss’ resolve the rest of the way.

-Don’t look now but it appears Nadal, Federer and Australian Open champ Novak Djokovic got company as Andy Murray is making a serious push after edging the Serb in two tiebreaks Sunday for his first ever Masters Series win and sixth career title. The former pupil of Brad Gilbert has really come on strong and should be a serious threat at the final slam here in NYC. Perhaps the Scot is about to harness his talent giving Britain what it’s desired forever. A tennis star capable of winning majors. Don’t you wish we could say the same for our own assortment of American players?

-It really was nice to see Art Monk finally get his big day going into Canton with former Redskin teammate Darryl Green Saturday. He waited a few years too long as he was one of the best and most consistent wideouts in the NFL. A class guy as well. Something you can’t always say for everyone.

-I couldn’t help wondering the other night as ESPN’s Trey Wingo and Tom Jackson sung the praises of Monk for how he conducted himself on the field about what it would be like if a first rate jerk like Terrell Owens ever makes the Hall. Can you imagine just how fake the speech will be? Will he be wearing those shades hiding away those fake tears while talking about his star QB and losing as a team?!?!?!?!?! Somewhere, obnoxious agent Drew Rosenhaus is probably grinning at the daunting prospect.

-Now that Brett Favre has been welcomed back with open arms by Green Bay, do he and the Packers live happily ever after and go away for good? I would love to be a fly on the wall and see that convo with Aaron Rodgers.

-I watched the final Old-Timer’s Day ceremony on YES Network Saturday and enjoyed seeing the loud ovations Paul O’Neill, Tino Martinez along with legends Reggie Jackson, Ron Guidry, Whitey Ford, Yogi Berra and Don Larsen got but that reception Randolph received from the packed house was the best moment in my book. No.30 will always be one of their own helping them win in 1977-78. Sure. He managed the Mets and nearly got them to a World Series in 2006 but the way he was sent packing was distasteful and the crowd let him know about it by giving the classy former second baseman such a long ovation which was so nice to see. You could really tell how much he appreciated it. That’s what I love about sports. Special moments such as that.

-Condolences go out to Skip Caray’s family as the great Atlanta Brave broadcaster and son of Harry Caray passed away earlier today at the age of 68.

-Also sending our prayers and thoughts to 71 year-old actor Morgan Freeman, who was in a serious car accident this morning. He’s always been one of the better actors. My favorite role will always be his unbelievable portrayal of Ellis Boyd “Red” Redding alongside Tim Robbins’ Andy Dufresne character in The Shawshank Redemption. I sure hope he makes a full recovery.

It’s way late and I shouldn’t even be up as we have a very busy day heading out with close buddies to see The Police play at PNC Art Center in Jersey. Naturally, I’m amped to see Sting, Copeland and Summers rock the stage again a year removed from a dope concert at MSG exactly a year ago during their 30-year reunion tour. This will be one of their final shows and I know it’s going to be off the hook. I’ll give a full report later.

As for the sports news of yesterday, I could write a lot more but the only one which sticks in my head at the moment is this:

-The Mets have been an unpredictable team all season long. Just when it looked like they had it all together working so well, they drop the first two in Houston and lose the second game in excruciating fashion blowing a four-run lead including 4-2 up in the ninth only to see Billy Wagner implode allowing the Astros to tie it in bizarre fashion with two runners sliding in almost simultaneously past Ramon Castro who couldn’t handle the throw. They lost the game in 10 with veteran Darin Erstad’s sac fly to short left scoring Lance Berkman from third easily due to Tatis making a tough catch and falling down which made his throw way off line.

These Mets have had some brutal losses including that ridiculous one to the Phils which cost them a sweep even if they have owned the defending NL East champs this season taking all four series thus far. However, this defeat was the latest one which tormented their fans who are probably wondering why they continue to root for a team that always seems to do this. Maybe they’ll bounce back and wind up winning the division like they should cause deep down, they’re the best team out of the three even though the Phils lead it by one and a half over the now second place Marlins and two over New York.

Still, how can a team cause so much heartache for their own fans? You have to wonder how much more they can take.  Only Jets and Knicks fans have it worse in this area.

When does it end?

Also, regarding Johan Santana, he has to do better than pitching into the seventh inning with his pen taxed. Especially against such a good hitting club as Houston. They will hit. 103 pitches don’t cut it for one of the elite aces in the game. The Mets needed more and paid the price.

Just inexcusable.

-The Mets got a much needed complete game from Johan Santana, who tossed the club’s first CG of the season in an 9-1 blowout win over the Cardinals taking two of three at Shea before they hit the road for a big three-game series in Florida. The 29 year-old southpaw got plenty of support off the big bats of David Wright (20th HR), Fernando Tatis (2-run shot) and Ramon Castro (solo HR) as the Mets plated five in the sixth to put away a three-run game before Albert Pujols slugged his second dinger in two days in the seventh to break up the shutout. That was the only mistake Santana made as he went the distance on one run, six hits walking one and fanning five to improve to 9-7 lowering his ERA under 3.00. He also tossed a season high 118 pitches for his seventh career complete game.

-The Mets hope it’s a trend as they need their ace more than ever to deliver a big second half to hold off the offensive minded Phillies, who once again dialed up the offense with two five-run outbursts erasing an Atlanta 5-0 lead to win 12-10 and remain a game back. The Phillies got five home runs from different sources with Chris Coste, Shane Victorino (3-run shot), Pat Burrell (26th), Jayson Werth (2-run HR) and Jimmy Rollins (solo) all going yard to keep pace.

-Meanwhile, the Marlins blew 5-0 and 6-5 leads to the Cubs allowing four in the seventh at Wrigley to fall 9-6 for a split of the four-game series. Former Met Mike Jacobs two long balls in the second and third weren’t enough and neither was Dan Uggla’s 25th as Alfonso Soriano (3-run shot) and Derrek Lee (solo HR) combined to slug the Cubs back with the biggest hit coming courtesy of a pinch hit Mike Fontenot bases clearing double. The Marlins enter their series against the Amazin’s in third place trailing by two games.

-The Red Sox finally snapped the Yanks’ eight-game win streak by bombing Sidney Ponson for seven runs in the first four innings in what amounted to a 9-2 home victory avoiding the sweep and pulling within two of first place Tampa, who fell in KC 6-1. Manny Ramirez let his bat do the talking with three hits, two runs scored and two RBI’s and David Ortiz hit his first home run since returning and drove in three as the Sox took a two-game lead over the Yanks in the wild card. Trailing by seven, the Yankees did have one chance to get back in it when they plated two runs off Jon Lester in the fifth and still had the bases packed with nobody out. However, Alex Rodriguez lined out to third, Xavier Nady flied to shallow center and Robinson Cano grounded back to Lester allowing him to escape. For the first time since the break, the hot hitting Cano was held hitless in four at bats. Nady followed an 0-for-3 with another collar making him 0-for-7 thus far. He also stranded five. The Yanks as a team left 16 on base.