What ‘inconsistent’ Mets need to go right for an October chance

The most obvious piece of good news for the Mets is they’ll almost surely still make the National League playoffs despite a season tilting decidedly downward since a near-perfect start that seems like a dream now.

The better news: The Nats and Marlins — two second-division teams that transform into killers against them — will not be among October opponents.

The Mets’ schizophrenic season was neatly encapsulated this week, which went from exciting and enthralling (a three-game whipping of the first-place Phillies) to dreary and downright worrisome (losing three of four games to the feisty Marlins, who had a lot more trouble with the PitchCom device than their gracious Citi Field hosts).

“There’s a lot to like, but there’s also room for improvement. We’ve been inconsistent,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said before the latest debacle vs. the Marlins, a 5-1 defeat, in what qualifies as a fair if somewhat understated summary of a season that could go either way and at any moment.