MLB

CAN’T ‘PEN HAPPY ENDING

THE METS are officially a mess.

Carlos Delgado can’t hit. The starting pitchers can’t keep the opponents off the board in a big way. The middle relief is in tatters. And Billy Wagner is going through a tough stretch.

Don’t expect Aaron Heilman to help the situation. He continued his amazing ability to give up big home runs in big spots, surrendering a one-out blast to Adrian Gonzalez in the top of the 10th that lifted the Padres to a 9-8 victory last night at Shea Stadium before a booing crowd of 50,098.

The fans are getting to see the Mets at their worst. All the little problems that have been bubbling below the surface are in plain view for all to see.

This loss was one of the ugliest of the Omar Minaya Era. The Mets are fortunate that there is no one in the NL East to challenge them.

And they have no Shea Stadium advantage. Going back to Game 7 of the NLCS, the Mets are 33-30 at home.

As a team, the Mets are not overly concerned about losing two of three to the Padres, a possible preview of the first round of the playoffs. Once again the Phils and Braves lost, so the Mets did not lose any ground.

Still, it’s time for the Mets to clean up their act and start acting like the regular season is important.

This is a team that thinks it has an automatic bid to the postseason, and it probably does because the NL East is a joke, but the Mets are heading for October disaster, just like last year. Pedro Martinez will soon return and the Mets need all the pitching help they can get.

Even with Delgado a lost hitting soul, the Mets offense continues to put up big numbers.

Ex-Met Mike Cameron dubbed the three-game series an “Instant Classic.”

Jake Peavy, the best road pitcher in the game, said he’s convinced the Mets remain the team to beat in the NL.

“That lineup keeps coming at you no matter how much you have them down or how much they are up,” Peavy said. “I got them as the best team in the National League. They’re a tough team to beat. To me, on paper, you would have to declare them the favorites. We feel real fortunate to get out of here with a series victory.”

Nursing a 7-6 lead in the ninth, Wagner gave up a leadoff double to Khalil Greene then a slap double to pinch-hitter Termel Sledge to tie the game. Sledge was trying to bunt Greene to third but couldn’t get the job done. Instead, he dropped a double to left and Wagner lost the lead. Wagner surrendered a go-ahead single to Josh Bard, erasing one of the best comebacks of the year for the Mets, who trailed 6-1 after five innings.

Delgado was 0-13 in the series. His timing and rhythm are completely lost.

The Mets need to turn it around against the Dodgers, beginning tonight. The Mets came into series facing a Padres club that is the worst-hitting team in the National League, yet the Padres battered Mets’ pitching, scoring 22 runs in the series.

The Padres chased starter Tom Glavine after five innings. The lefty could not locate and allowed six runs and 11 hits. The Mets offense came back again and again, but the bullpen couldn’t hold.

The Mets put the potential tying and winning runs on in the 10th against ex-Met Heath Bell, but Bell managed to hang on for the first save of his major league career. Bell felt he wasn’t used properly by the Mets. His 2.49 ERA is better than everyone in the Mets’ bullpen except Wagner’s 1.93 mark. Guillermo Mota, who was given a second chance after his steroid rap, is the worst at 6.28.

Wagner insisted that it was just one of those nights, just one of those series.

“This stuff happens,” he said. “We just have to come out tomorrow against the Dodgers and go to work.”

That would be nice.

kevin.kernan@nypost.com