MLB

METS ROUGH UP BRAVES’ PEN

The Mets felt the Braves’ pain last night.

And they loved every minute of it.

The Mets learned yesterday there is additional inflammation in Billy Wagner’s left elbow, a condition that has shut down the closer, pushing his return to somewhere between indefinite and who knows? And this comes after watching the bullpen throw batting practice too often.

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But at Shea Stadium last night, it was Atlanta’s relief corps that imploded. The Mets unloaded a five-run eighth inning, featuring monster two-RBI hits by Carlos Delgado and Damion Easley, in a 7-3 victory that kept the NL East lead at 1½ games.

“I could feel that,” manager Jerry Manuel said about watching Atlanta bring in failed reliever after failed reliever during the five-run, four-hit, three-walk eighth. “I know how difficult that is. They’re kind of dealing with the same thing we’re dealing with.”

The Mets’ relievers threw 22/3 scoreless innings in support of Oliver Perez, who labored effectively into the seventh, getting nicked for three second-inning runs. The offense finally arose after a slumber following the first. Delgado had the key hit, slamming a Will Ohman “fastball, right down the middle” the first baseman said, off the wall in left. Ohman had relieved Jeff Bennett (2-5) with the bases full. Delgado’s drive scored two for a 4-3 lead.

“Good teams win these kinds of games,” said Delgado. “They find a way to battle back and win these games. You’re not going to win them all, but it’s nice when you do.”

Especially with your closer in the infirmary and you’re able to take the game out of harm’s way for the ninth.

Perez left with one out and runners on the corners, but Luis Ayala, in his Mets debut, came in and retired two straight – “changed the momentum right there,” Manuel said. Aaron Heilman (3-7) worked a dangerous but ultimately harmless eighth inning, giving up a hit and walking the pitcher. Scott Schoenweiss pitched the ninth.

“The guys we’ve got out there are very capable,” said Easley who smacked a two-run single to greet Julian Tavarez, the third Braves’ pitcher in the eighth, just before Ramon Castro added a tack-on RBI double. “Losing Billy hurts, no doubt, but they have great arms and we expect them to do the job and they expect to do the job.”

This time all the Mets pitchers did the job. And it was needed because from the second to the eighth, the Mets managed one hit off Jo-Jo Reyes, recalled from Triple-A. A David Wright sac fly and a Fernando Tatis RBI ground-rule double staked Perez to a 2-0 lead in the first before the Braves scored three in the third to take the lead.

fred.kerber@nypost.com

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