MLB

EAST LEAD GOES UP IN CHOKE

A COUNTDOWN had been ongoing these past few dreadful days for the Mets. Sure, they were being humiliated by the undermanned Nationals. But all would be well once Pedro Martinez took the mound.

But, like with The Mighty Casey, the anticipation was great, the outcome disappointing.

Martinez was fine working against Albert Pujols and the Eight Dwarves that comprised the Cardinals’ lineup.

However, the inspiration and confidence that was supposed to be an IV drip into an entire bedraggled roster never came. Luis Castillo committed a critical error three batters into the game and the Mets offense never stirred against Red Sox reject Joel Pineiro.

And now what, after a 3-0 humiliation against the Cardinals dropped the reeling Mets into a first-place tie with Philadelphia? Where do the Mets go for motivation now with their leadoff hitter Jose Reyes pouting into one easy out after another, their bullpen a toxic waste dump and Martinez unavailable again unless he works on short rest Monday in a one-game playoff?

Willie Randolph tried to bolster his club with a brief meeting after this fourth straight loss. He proclaimed that a new season in which the Mets still control their destiny begins today and that the team needs to stay positive. While reporters talked to Billy Wagner, Randolph even walked by and loud enough for all to hear said, “We are going to win this thing. We are going to win it.”

But that is all the Mets are now. Talk. And it is talk that you sense they don’t even believe. How can they? These days they perform without poise or winning skill.

“I am never going to question the character of this team,” Randolph said.

That would leave him alone in this city. These Mets are wilting in the face of ever more stressful challenges. Almost from the instant last night’s game began, the Mets saw on the scoreboard that Philadelphia had built a big lead against the Braves. But, again, they could not respond to such a challenge, mustering three hits and no runs in Pineiro’s eight innings, gaining none of the expected juice from a Martinez start.

So we are back to words that are becoming all too familiar in association with these Mets such as unforgivable and unpardonable and – quite frankly now – unbelievable. Yet another woeful team long gone from contention walked into Shea Stadium and beat the Mets. This time it was the Cardinals in a makeup game of a June 28 rainout. Because of this, the Phillies now have no more ground to make up.

The Mets took over first place alone on May 16. They are not alone any more. That seven-game lead from two weeks ago has vanished, and so has every shred of team-wide confidence. The Mets are now playing this weekend to save their season, reputation and perhaps a few jobs.

Yet another dreadful team is due in Flushing, the last-place Marlins. But what does that mean? The Mets are dreadful right now, too. They got no bump from the Pedro Factor. They had not scored fewer than four runs in 11 straight games. Yesterday four would have been enough to win. Instead, the Mets were shut out for the first time at Shea since June 19. The opponent that day was Minnesota’s Cy Young stalwart Johan Santana, a pretty measurable difference from Pineiro.

“We can’t worry about the boos and what people write,” Wagner said. “We have to go out and perform, like Pedro went out and performed.”

Before another sparse crowd considering the stakes, Martinez was undermined in the first by Castillo, who botched a potential inning-ending double play. That led to an unearned run. Operating against a lineup with Ryan Ludwick batting cleanup, Martinez was hit hard in the third in surrendering two runs. His pace and results improved from there. But the Mets did not.

So they shot their Pedro bullet and now what? He gave them seven innings, three runs (two earned), and his teammates gave nothing in return. The Phillies went up 6-0, won 6-4. The division lead is all gone. There may be no wild-card safety net. Randolph is encouraging his troops to stay upbeat, to seize the new season he says begins today.

But it is hard to ignore how the old season is ending.

joel.sherman@nypost.com