Steve Trachsel — 13-game winner. Jose Reyes — there are more than five tools, right? Because he has like 17. St. Louis, you scare us none, with your faux ace and runner-up MVP. It was a 10-8 win for the Mets, but you see, we can hold a big lead, even if we let the opposition narrow the gap.

A nice win, and one that lowered the Mets’ magic number to a mere …

24.

Not only was it Willie Mays‘ number with the Mets (and Giants) but also, briefly, Kelvin Torve‘s (and Rickey‘s but he had a bit more cred). Right now, it’s just the the number of Phillies wins and Mets losses combined that launches the Amazin’s to the playoffs. 

With their 77 wins after 125, the Mets are on a pace to win 99.79 games, which I’ll round up to a smooth 100.

Best game of the year? Perhaps. The steady buildup of the day Tuesday — good news after good news and then followed by good news — mirrored the steady buildup of the game’s drama. And it all added up to one that’ll be talked about for a long time, even if it wasn’t necessarily the top game of the year.

Tom Glavine? Healthy after he takes baby aspirin. Shawn Green? His acquisition is a mitzvah, and I’ll join him at shul on Yom Kippur — no games on Oct. 2, the day after the season ends and the day before the NLDS begins.

And then, of course the game. Albert Pujols could be MVP. But met face to face with his primary competition for the award, it was the Met who came out on top, when Carlos Beltran sealed the 8-7 sayonara win off ex-Generation K’er Jason Isringhausen in the ninth.

And to think, it was another Carlos — Delgado — who was the Mets’ headline for eight innings, slugging homer No. 399 and slamming homer No. 400. He’s back, and at a nice time, too.

Add everything up, and with a nice thud, the Mets’ magic number hits … 

25.

That’s over the Phillies. It’s just 15 over the Nationals. The Mets are on pace to win 99 ballgames come Yom Kippur.

Oh, and welcome back Timo! And go to ****, Braden!

It was not a good start to the day Sunday, with Tom Glavine‘s season now in doubt because of a blood clot. But El Duque picked up the slack and eased some worries, delivering a gem, and thanks to the Carlos-‘n’-Carlos power company, the Mets completed the sweep with a 2-0 win over the Rockies.

The victory dipped the Mets’ magic number to …

26.

That’s over the Phillies, who held on in a slugfest over the Nationals. 

Yup. That’s pretty much how the ’86 club would have done it, too.  The opponent would cruise along and before anyone even realizes it, the Mets are ahead, erupting for a merciless rally.  Only afterward, the ’86 club would get wasted and get in a bar fight. Oh well, times change.

Great that so many of the greats were there to see the win, although too bad that a few like Knight, McDowell, Maz and Davey weren’t. Did Doug Sisk really not get booed?

And everyone looked great in the throwbacks, especially Lastings Milledge, who was particularly shiny on a night of stars and as the Mets doused the Rockies, 7-4.

The victory clipped the Mets’ magic number to …

27.

That’s over the Phillies, who won big over D.C., and also made a non-splash, adding very aged Jamie Moyer to the staff. Philadelphia, which still harbors Wild Card hopes (what’s a Wild Card?, the division leader asks…), are 14 games back of the Mets.

Steve Trachsel suffered just a minor, one-inning hiccup, prolonging a recent stretch in which he’s been remarkably good, and the Mets feasted on a fine burst of offense in the middle innings as they took care of the Rockies in the series and homestand opener, 6-3.

The victory, combined with the Phillies’ defeat at the hands of Ryan Zimmerman and the Nationals dropped the Mets’ magic number below the 30 mark, to a hardly perceptible…

28.

That would be the very same number "Fresno" Bobby Jones — one of the author’s favorite pitchers of last decade, for some reason — wore on his back for much of the ’90s at Shea.

The division lead over the Phillies now stands at 14 games.

After three bad days in Philly, the Mets finally had a good one Thursday, riding a slump-busting performance by Carlos Delgado and another good start by John Maine to an easy 7-2 win.

Lost opportunities the first three games of the series, for sure, but at least the magic number is shrinking again, now standing at …

30.

That’s over the Phils with 42 to play. The Mets’ .600 winning percentage translates to about 97 wins on the year. The Braves’ tragic number to end that damned division-winning streak is 27. Good stuff.

Good stuff all around. After a hiccup in the series opener, the Mets roared back — even if there wasn’t all that much roaring by the offense — to grab the next two, 6-4 on Saturday and 3-1 on Sunday. As it’s been so many times this season, the 25th man — this weekend, Michael Tucker — took charge to fuel the wins.

The result of the series win in D.C.? A magic number that’s dipped to a miniscule…

32.

That’s a number best known to Mets fans as John Matlack’s uniform number, but also most recently worn by the un-good Danny Graves. I also like to remember it for ex-Generation K leader Paul Wilson.

But that’s the past. The present has everything to do with a 15-game cushion in the NL East over the Phillies, who are the next target coming up on the schedule.

The 71 victories for the Mets is just five behind the TIgers, who were just swept by the White Sox. It also stands as the second most in baseball to Detroit. The .612 winning percentage for the Mets plays out to a 99-win season come the end of the regulation campaign.

Mike Piazza — I’ll be there at your Hall of Fame induction (in a Mets hat, I’d hope), and I was standing at home during your homers tonight, but hey. I’m glad the current Mets got the win Wednesday, 4-3. And a nail-biter it was, with Piazza bashing a pair and another Padre making it close in the ninth off Billy Wagner. But the final was good, and so is a magic number that stands at a mere …

37.

‘Tis over Philly, who beat Atlanta. Everyone’s a lot of games out.

Great reception for Mike Piazza, and every single clap was deserved. Best hitter in club history, and i don’t think there’s a debate. But for the context of the 2006 Mets, Tuesday’s was another great win — a 3-2 final — powered by the two MVP candidates of the present, David Wright and Carlos Beltran, all behind a pretty good effort by Steve Trachsel and the ‘pen.

The series-opening W, combined with a tough loss for the Phils, dropped the Mets magic number to just…

38.

That’s over Philly, which now stands 13 1/2 games out with 51 to play. Hot stuff.

Ok, as far as I’m personally concerned, the buck stops here. No more lagged updates. I’ll try to get back to daily (or however often the number changes) once again. My sincerest apologies.

As far as Jose Reyes is concerned, however, I can stick my sorries in a sack. Because his grand slam and John Maine’s continued execution made the Mets very easy 8-1 winners Sunday night. So, Jose, this Rheingold’s for you, as well as David Wright, who’s now similarly in the fold for many, many happy recaps to come.

And where does all this leave us in the short term? WIth a magic number that’s fabulous at …

 

40.

That’s over the pheckless Phils, who are 13 out in the NL East.