MLB

Phillies crush Mets after Santana’s disastrous fourth inning

PHILADELPHIA — Johan Santana took a giant bucket of ice water and effectively doused the Mets’ spirits last night.

The team ace became Whoa-han Santana over 3 2/3 innings in a performance as brutal as you’ll ever see from a $137-million left arm.

The Mets left town in second place and feeling like a second-class citizen after a humiliating 11-5 loss to the Phillies.

BOX SCORE

MANUEL WILL HAVE TO WAIT

Santana allowed a career-worst 10 earned runs, just a day after Roy Halladay fired a three-hit shutout. Santana might want to rethink his spring-training proclamation that he is still the best pitcher in the NL East.

Over the course of two games, the Phillies tormented Mike Pelfrey and Santana, who entered the weekend having allowed one earned run over 45 1/3 innings combined.

Pelfrey allowed six runs in the fourth inning on Saturday, which seems like a masterpiece compared to Santana’s dud last night. It left the Mets a half-game behind the Phillies and bloodied as they prepare to open a three-game series in Cincinnati tonight.

“It was crazy day,” Santana said. “Just a bad day.”

The four home runs allowed by Santana tied a career high and the 10 earned runs were the most by a Mets pitcher since Orlando Hernandez gave up 11 in this same ballpark on Aug. 15, 2006.

“My fastball was all over the place and I wasn’t able to work it,” Santana said.

Jamie Moyer didn’t look a day over 46 (he’s actually 47) in the early innings, but recovered to survive through six and retire the last eight batters he faced after allowing homers to David Wright and Rod Barajas.

Santana (3-2) left the mound to a sarcastic standing ovation in the fourth after surrendering his second homer of the inning and fourth of the game, a two-run blast by Chase Utley that gave the Phillies a 10-5 lead.

But Santana’s goose was cooked two batters earlier, when Shane Victorino hit his second career grand slam. The turning point of the inning came when Moyer walked on a full-count pitch with the bases loaded and two outs, pulling the Phillies within 5-4.

“You would like to think [Santana] is a machine and he never makes mistakes,” Wright said. “But he’s human and going to go out there and have some bad outings.”

All told, the Phillies sent 13 batters to the plate in the fourth inning and scored nine runs on eight hits and two walks.

“It all happened so fast that I don’t think I comprehended it until I got in the dugout,” Jeff Francoeur said. “But I’ll still take Santana on the mound any day of the week. How many times is that going to happen? I’ve never seen it happen.”

The Mets seemed to have control after Barajas’ third homer of the series, a two-run blast in the fourth, gave them a 5-2 lead.

Wright played powerball against Moyer in the first inning with a three-run homer that got the Mets on the right track after Halladay had dominated on Saturday. “It’s tough,” manager Jerry Manuel said. “It’s a rival and we came in playing pretty good baseball.”

mpuma@nypost.com