MLB

FRANCOEUR ADDS TWIST TO METS-BRAVES RIVALRY

Are the Mets mad as hell — and not going to take it anymore? Or are they just bad as hell?

Jeff Francoeur maybe had the right idea for the Mets when he mentioned his impending return to Turner Field to face the his old team, the Braves, beginning tonight in a four-game series to start the season’s second half.

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“The weird thing for me will be walking up to bat the first time with [Brian McCann] behind the plate,” Francoeur said. “He’s probably going to be talking trash, so I may just dust a little dirt on him with the bat.”

The Mets need to start dusting dirt on opponents, and fast, if they have any chance of remaining relevant in summer’s dog days. They’ll begin play tonight trailing NL East leader Philadelphia by 6½ games, and their spacing behind San Francisco in the wild-card race is exactly as wide.

What went right for the Mets (42-45) in the first half? Bernie Madoff went to jail, Mr. Met avoided the disabled list and the lines for Citi Field’s outfield concessions were long.

In other words, nothing.

“It’s always a failed mission when your team is not in the position where I want to be in,” David Wright said. “Some of that has to do with injuries, [but] there are no excuses for it. Some of it has to do with poor play. But the fact of the matter is we’re not in first place.”

Jose Reyes, Carlos Delgado and Carlos Beltran are still on the disabled list, leaving it to players such as Francoeur, whom the Mets obtained from Atlanta last week for Ryan Church, to fill the gap until the team gets healthy.

On his way out the door, Church half-jokingly said he’d be looking forward to this series. The same likely goes for Francoeur, who was largely a disappointment in his last 1½ seasons with the Braves.

“You’ve got to get it over with at some point. We play them 13 more times, so I might as well go ahead and get over the awkwardness of playing [Atlanta],” Francoeur said. “I’ve got no hard feelings toward Atlanta, just a great opportunity for me up here with a fresh start.”

Francoeur made a good first impression on his new team, collecting four hits in his first nine at-bats last weekend, helping the Mets win two straight against the Reds. But now comes the test of proving he’s for real.

The same goes for Oliver Perez, who starts tonight. In his first start since returning from the DL, the lefty survived five wild innings in beating the Dodgers last Wednesday, but still hasn’t shown enough to dispel the notion he’s a $36 million bust.

“The more important thing was we won,” Perez said. “This game is about the team. It isn’t about just me and we’re always trying to do the best, and somebody will pick you up. That’s the way it is on this team.”

Can the Mets turn this sinking ship around?

“Anything can happen,” Perez said. “We’ve had our experience of the last two years and we have to prepare every day. September is one of the toughest months for everybody, and some teams start winning games before that, and that’s why they make the playoffs.”

Francoeur is thinking in terms of slow progress.

“Each day, some of these [injured] guys are getting closer and closer to coming back,” he said. “It’s almost like a deadline pickup when you get those guys back. I don’t see why we can’t make a run at it in the second half. I really don’t.”

mpuma@nypost.com