The Phillies have provided plenty of heartbreak for the Mets the past three seasons, but the Phils simply have been copying from the Braves’ playbook.
Atlanta won 11 straight NL East titles from 1995-2005 — with the Mets finishing runner-up on four occasions. The Braves also knocked the Mets out of the NLCS in 1999 and Chipper Jones added insult to injury by naming his son Shea, after the Mets’ former stadium, where he seemed to always be in top form.
Surprisingly, the rivals are one and two in NL East again heading into a crucial weekend series at Citi Field. The Phillies jumped out to an early lead in the division, while Mets manager Jerry Manuel’s job was in jeopardy. The Braves stumbled to an 8-14 start and seemed manager Bobby Cox’s farewell season would not be a successful one.
“They were down and out with no signs of them getting up,” said John Smoltz, who played a pivotal role in that Braves’ 11-year run, and is now an analyst for MLB Network and TBS.
“Bobby has done a great job of sustaining it and keeping his patience, and the Braves are in the mix.”
But who ultimately comes out on top in the NL East may not be decided by any of the players who are in Flushing tonight for the three-game set.
“Whoever makes the most aggressive move would become the favorite,” Smoltz said. “I don’t know who that’s going to be. Everyone talks about New York being in position to do that. If they add a pitcher, they certainly would give them an edge. The Braves could add a quality bat that would give them the advantage. And for the Phillies a lot depends on how fast they get healthy.”
The Mets have been linked to Cliff Lee, but the success of their little-known pitchers is the reason they find themselves in contention.
“They’ve done a marvelous job in keeping it together,” said Smoltz of R.A. Dickey, who will pitch tonight, and Hisanori Takahashi, who was skipped in the rotation so Johan Santana can pitch the series finale.
“The guys that have kept it together deserve to be commended and maybe they want to say, ‘Hey, we don’t need anybody. We are the guys that can make this a fruitful run.’”
The Braves need help in the outfield as phenom Jason Heyward is on the disabled list and Melky Cabrera, whom they acquired from the Yankees in the Javier Vazquez trade, has been a disappointment.
The Mets are hoping for some outfield help of their own with Carlos Beltran expected back after the All-Star break.
“You add a name like that, it gives the team an incredible adrenaline rush,” Smoltz said. “But after that, it does really go back to executing and being the great player that he was. The impact is immediate, but they have to hope it’s lasting.”
If it does, the Mets may not have to make a move to end up on top of the division. If Beltran — sidelined since last July, save for a brief September return — has trouble regaining his form then it could be a return to the ’90s and early 2000s when the Braves owned the NL East.
“It just felt like we were going to keep doing it no matter what,” Smoltz said. “No matter who we lost, we felt that he could be replaced.”
justin.terranova@nypost.com