Mets playoff hopes hinge on surviving gauntlet finish

First, the good news: The Mets enter Friday a full game ahead of the Braves for the final NL wild-card spot with just 16 games to go and have matched a season-best by being 14 games over .500.

Now for the not-so-good news: Starting with Friday’s series opener in Philadelphia against the first-place Phillies, the Mets have the toughest schedule the rest of the way.

According to Tankathon.com, the Mets’ opponents have a .557 winning percentage.

The Braves, conversely, have the 12th-hardest schedule, although their last stretch opens Friday at home versus the Dodgers, a team that swept Atlanta earlier in the year.

“I think both of these teams have defied the odds to get here,’’ one NL scout said. “The Mets were dead a few times this season and Atlanta keeps bringing in guys off the street and getting something out of them.”

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Of course, the reason the Mets have the hardest road ahead is because seven of their remaining games are against the Phillies, the first three at Citizens Bank Park this weekend and another four at Citi Field beginning Thursday.

Sandwiched between those two series is a three-game set against the also-ran Nationals in Queens.

And after they finish with the Phillies at Citi Field a week from Sunday, the Mets have the unenviable task of finishing the season with three games in Milwaukee to face the NL Central-leading Brewers and a final series at Atlanta.

The Mets have dropped four of six games this season versus Philadelphia — including a complete-game shutout at the hands of Friday’s starter, Aaron Nola, in May.

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They were also swept in their lone previous series against the Brewers and have split 10 games with the Braves this year, while winning four of the six games played versus Washington.

Despite the obstacles ahead, it’s worth noting the Mets have already defied the odds several times this year.

After losing their first five games of the season under rookie manager Carlos Mendoza, they briefly righted the ship before falling to 24-35.

Since May 30, the Mets have the best record in baseball.

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And they met their last stiff challenge well when they won four of seven games on a trip to the top two NL wild-card teams, Arizona and San Diego, in late August.

“They have guys that have been there before,’’ the NL scout said, noting the Mets’ starters the next two games, Jose Quintana and Luis Severino, as well as J.D. Martinez in the middle of the lineup.

“And the guy in the dugout hasn’t looked like a first-year manager all year,’’ the scout said of Mendoza, who spent plenty of time in the playoffs as a coach with the Yankees. “I think there’s a belief on that team that they belong in the postseason and that can help this time of year.”

It helps that the Mets haven’t lost a series since the middle of August in Oakland following a sweep at the hands of the Mariners in Seattle.

They have since won seven of their last eight series, the lone exception being a split in San Diego.

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