"They kept us in it," new Mets skipper Jerry Manuel said with a big smile last weekend at Shea Stadium.

The Phillies looked poised to put some serious distance between themselves and division competitors one month ago. On June 8, the Phils won for the 15th time in 19 games to go up by 31/2 games on Florida, 61/2 on Atlanta, and 71/2 on the Mets.

After that run, however, the Phils went into a slump and lost 13 of 18 before taking three straight against the Braves in Atlanta.

Had the Phils not gone into that tailspin, they could have buried the Mets.

"Should have," interjected Mets closer Billy Wagner. "But we've been doing them favors for a year and a half. It's about time they hit a bump."

The June swoon kept the division tight - the Mets enter this series 41/2 games behind the Phils - and put a little more meaning into this weekend's festivities as the New Yorkers come to town for a four-game series.

"It will be four fun games," Wagner said. "Mentally straining, I'm sure, because they always are when we play the Phillies, but fun.

"People say the Yankees are our rival, but that's just a media creation. The Phillies are our rival. This is why you play the game - to play the best in the division with something on the line. It's a good opportunity for both teams."

Much has changed since the Phillies last saw the Mets.

Manager Willie Randolph was fired June 17, with bench coach Manuel taking over on an interim basis.

The Mets were just 7-7 in their first 14 games under Manuel, but the former American League manager of the year (with the White Sox in 2000) believes his club is well-positioned to make a second-half run.

"I usually wait till July to start looking at the standings," Manuel said. "You see them, of course, but I don't put a lot of energy into them until now. I try to focus on my team. Once July hits, you've got to go. I like our position."

Manuel is in his fourth season with the Mets, so he is well aware of the rivalry that has developed between the two clubs.

"It's huge," he said. "I love the rivalry because it brings intensity. You don't have to motivate or push to get that from a player. It's there."

Last year, of course, Jimmy Rollins made his famous "We're the team to beat" prediction, and it came true when the Phils won 13 of their final 17 to claim the division on the final day of the season.

The Mets lost 12 of their final 17 to blow a seven-game lead. The collapse put a bull's-eye on Randolph's back, and he was fired after 21/2 months of inconsistency.

"The manager always gets the brunt of it," Wagner said. "It wasn't Willie. We didn't perform.

"One day we don't hit, one day we don't pitch, one day it's me, one day it's someone else. We just haven't been consistent.

"But it could be worse. We've found a way to stay in it."

Randolph's final days were painful as everyone associated with the team waited for the ax to fall.

"I think we had some diverted attention," Manuel said. "I don't know if you can play well when your attention is diverted. The situation with Willie took on a life of its own. It was tough for the team and him to handle."

Wagner concurred.

"You knew something was going to happen," he said. "It's tough playing with that in the back of your mind. Whether we won or not, the talk after the game was about if the manager was going to be around. That wears on a team.

"We were getting sidetracked by the manager's status, and we were making the situation worse by pressing on the field.

"We weren't relaxed under Willie because of his status. Now we can relax and play. It's a huge cloud off this team."

The Mets have beaten the Phillies in four of six meetings this season. Tonight's game features a pair of lefties, Johan Santana against Phils rookie J.A. Happ, whose only other big-league start came a year ago this week in a loss to the Mets.

There's one other interesting matchup, this one between the managers. No, Mets skipper Manuel is not related to Phils manager Charlie Manuel. But they've had some laughs over their common surname.

"Charlie likes to say the only good thing about me is my last name," Jerry Manuel said, laughing. "I say the same thing to him. We have fun with it.

"I look forward to matching wits with Charlie."