MLB

Mets no jokers in wild wild-card chase

The most important arrival on this Mets homestand has not been Ike Davis. It has been the Cubs and the Braves.

Yes, the Mets have been energized by their top position prospect. But they should be, at the least, equally encouraged by two suspects. The Cubs and Braves have offered reminders that the NL wild card is going to be contested by flawed, dysfunctional clubs — essentially the definition of the 2010 Mets.

Can the Mets outdo the Phillies? Probably not. But the Mets do not have to win the NL East to make the playoffs. They merely have to be the best of the broken toys that populate the league.

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“It’s funny I was talking about just that in the coaches’ room with the staff today,” manager Jerry Manuel said. “Sometimes we focus so much on our team that we forget that just about every team has problems.”

Indeed, trouble spots are not quarantined within the Mets roster. You may wonder what Jenrry Mejia is doing in the bullpen, but that is not nearly as troubling as the overpaid, underperforming Cubs turning their most expensive pitcher ever, Carlos Zambrano, into a reliever. Atlanta actually has a shortstop, Yunel Escobar, much more immature than Jose Reyes.

And the Braves’ troubles do not end there. The Mets won 1-0 last night in a game shortened to five innings by rain. The lone run was unearned, created on a throwing error by Chipper Jones, who looks as if he is nearing his expiration date. And the run held up because the Braves went hitless in five at-bats with runners in scoring position against the wild, but tenacious Mike Pelfrey.

The Braves were sloppy and punchless in getting swept as the Mets improved to 6-1 on this 10-game stand. And the Dodgers enter tonight without Manny Ramirez or anything close to a competent rotation. Mets fans bemoan the frugality of the Wilpons, but the huge-market Dodgers have dropped their payroll under $100 million, as the divorce proceedings of their ownership turn a once-proud organization into a penny-pinching punchline.

The Cubs, Braves and Dodgers were all more widely viewed as contenders than the Mets. And that may turn out to be true over 162 games.

But, three weeks into the season, the Mets do not feel more dysfunctional or flawed than those teams. And there is an actual case to be made that they have the best chance to trend upward.

Davis has deepened the everyday lineup and Jon Niese has done the same to the rotation. Mejia should be at Triple-A getting stretched out as a starter, but — miscast or not — his power arm could be a factor in the pen.

Pelfrey lacked precision, but not grit last night as he moved his scoreless-inning streak to 24 and continued to look like an able, top-of-the-rotation co-pilot to Johan Santana. Jose Reyes appears to be getting his legs back and Jason Bay appears to be getting his swing back.

Is there stuff to worry about? You bet. David Wright is morphing into a Citi Field villain with his propensity to strike out, and the bandwagon for Oliver Perez and John Maine isn’t exactly standing room only. The Mets may never get an inning this year out of Carlos Beltran or Kelvim Escobar. And the Mets have so disenchanted their fan base in recent years that diving into the trust pool is difficult.

But the faithful in Chicago, Atlanta and Los Angeles are not making parade plans either. Dodgers manager Joe Torre has a rotation that actually would be improved by Perez and Maine. He is likely to have to start Josh Towers and Charlie Haeger in the final two games of the series.

“In a market like this, we tend to focus on just this team,” Alex Cora said. “But you watch the other teams come in [to Citi Field] and you notice [the imperfections].”

The Mets are nobody’s idea of perfect. But this homestand — which began with their manager in trouble and Davis’ debut — is a reminder that the NL wild card competition is not going to be a beauty contest.

joel.sherman@nypost.com