MIAMI — Don’t start believing.
That doesn’t sound like much of a marketing campaign for the Mets, but Ike Davis isn’t paid for that sort of thing.
“Nobody believed in us, and I hope they don’t still,” Davis said Wednesday after the Mets moved five games above .500 for the first time in two years with a three-game sweep of the Phillies.
It still is a Mets-against-the-world mentality, as manager Terry Collins’ crew opens a three-game series tonight at Marlins Park and attempts to continue an improbable rise in the NL East.
Can the Mets continue to make noise?
“I think so,” a major league talent evaluator said yesterday. “But they will need [Matt] Harvey and [Jeurys] Familia to contribute and [Josh] Thole to be healthy.”
A look at how the Mets have gotten to 18-13 and begun creating a buzz around baseball:
Resiliency
The Mets already have 11 comeback victories in 2012 — their highest total in franchise history after 31 games. That statistic is a testament to the bad bullpens they have faced — see the Phillies and Diamondbacks — and the fact their own relievers haven’t been nearly as bad as the numbers suggest.
Though the Mets’ 4.42 bullpen ERA ranks 14th in the NL, that number is skewed by a brutal weekend at Colorado in which team relievers allowed 16 earned runs over two games. Overall, the Mets’ bullpen has been respectable, with Jon Rauch, Bobby Parnell and Tim Byrdak leading the charge.
And they’ve been much better at home. They have a winning record in all three of their homestands this season — something they did just three times all of last season.
Johan being Johan
As spring training closed, the Mets just wanted a healthy Johan Santana who could take the ball on normal turn in the rotation and give them a chance. The team has instead regained an ace. Santana, who will face the Marlins tonight, has been strong in five of his six starts, allowing only one homer in 31 innings this season. His re-emergence has allowed the rest of the rotation to fall into line. R.A. Dickey has been tremendous and Jon Niese solid.
Wright answers
With the season Matt Kemp is having for the Dodgers, it would be a stretch to say Wright belongs in the early MVP conversation. But Wright certainly has been among the top three or four players in the NL this season.
The best sign for the Mets might be that Wright’s strikeout total is under control, an indication he is mechanically sound after spending much of last season trying to figure out the best approach. Wright has just three home runs in 101 at-bats, but the Mets will take that pace if the trade off is a .475 on-base percentage.
Backup plan
For a team with so little veteran experience on the bench, the Mets can’t be disappointed with the results. Mike Baxter, Justin Turner, Jordany Valdespin and Mike Nickeas, among others, have delivered important hits this season.
With Ruben Tejada (quad) and Thole (concussion) on the disabled list, that depth will be further tested in the coming weeks. Ronny Cedeno is close to returning from the DL and Rob Johnson has joined Nickeas in the catching corps. Maybe the right answer is to have a game of musical chairs so nobody gets too comfortable.
Nieuw horizons/Dudaism
The NL East is loaded with talented young players, and the Mets aren’t excluded. Kirk Nieuwenhuis helped save the team while Andres Torres was injured, and has been an upgrade in left field over injured Jason Bay. Lucas Duda also continues to evolve as a potentially dynamic player, but must show the Mets he can hit lefties consistently. Duda is on pace to drive in 80-plus runs.
Throw the injured Tejada and Thole into the mix and the Mets have four position players 25 or younger having a good season.
mike.puma@nypost.com