LOS ANGELES — The taste is bitter. For much of two games, the Mets had thwarted the Dodgers’ Plan A — win behind Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke — when the Mets could be pretty sure Los Angeles had no Plan B.

Then, in a bottom of the seventh that caused pain in just about every way — especially with shortstop Ruben Tejada being carted off with a fractured fibula — the Mets had complete control of this division series vanish.

They were revisited by horrors past, notably Chase Utley coming into their lives to bring misery — and, in this case, tons of controversy. They thought they already had their Phil of that. However, here Utley was again, breaking hearts — and a leg.

But what the Mets must be able to do with the benefit of an off-day is to take a deep breath — they must regain perspective. Yes, they had a chance to beat both Kershaw and Greinke. But they split in Chavez Ravine, even after a 5-2 Game 2 gut-punch loss Saturday. They showed that their power starters — Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard — could match the most dynamic lefty-righty combo in the sport pitch for pitch and even outdo them.

The real advantage was supposed to be in Game 3, when the Dodgers could not use Kershaw or Greinke and had to go with Brett Anderson — while the Mets have Matt Harvey.

So, yes, what an intriguing, delectable thing a baseball season is. After all the noise and uneasiness and debate, Harvey has the spotlight he so loves and all the hero or goat implications that will go with that.

“In our plans we had Matt in Game 3 because it was going to be a pivotal game, which it is now going to be,” Terry Collins said.

Collins called Harvey “the right guy” for the assignment because, “well, he’s the ace. This guy loves pressure. He loves the big stage.”

The stage could hardly be bigger. It already was the postseason and New York versus L.A. Now, we have a forever play that swung Game 2 tactically, emotionally and — ultimately — on the scoreboard. We had a play that is getting and will continue to get Zapruder film attention: spliced and sliced and diced to try to determine if Utley was being dirty when he flipped a blind-sided Tejada and whether the umpires — both on the field and back at replay central in New York — got all the nuances of the seventh-inning play correct.

It was October drama at its peak and now here comes Human Drama: Harvey, with a chance to swing this series one way or another.

“He understands the magnitude of the postseason,” Michael Cuddyer said.

But this is about more than the postseason and the Mets. This is about Harvey. Utley will hear a Citi noise of hatred Monday night that will make him as big a New York sports villain as perhaps there ever has been.

The crowd can go one way or the other with Harvey as they continue to try to figure out if they like and trust the guy or not.

If he carries the Mets to a triumph Monday in Game 3 — puts them one victory from a clinch — then innings limits and lateness for a workout and anything else that has made Harvey the Mets’ No. 1 distraction while possibly being their No. 3 starter will disappear from relevance as quickly as the Mets’ lead did in the seventh inning Saturday night.

But should he get outpitched by Anderson, well, New York is going to stop being his 24-7 candy store. If Harvey crumbles and the Mets lose Tuesday, they are back to the uncomfortable space of having to win games started by Kershaw (assuming he goes on three days’ rest) and Greinke (back in Los Angeles).

For now, deGrom and Syndergaard not only have laid down the gauntlet to Kershaw, Greinke and the Dodgers, but to Harvey, as well. To match their overpowering ways.

“These are the playoffs and we have a lot of right guys [to start a game],” David Wright said. “I like our chances with Matt for sure.”

Mets officials and players said they do not want Harvey seeking retribution Monday. They cannot afford for him to put men on base, lose his concentration and possibly face ejection. This division series already has enough subplots.

“It is the playoffs, so the best retribution,” Cuddyer explained, “is to win the series.”

As hard as it was to see in the moment with the frustration of losing both such a winnable game and their starting shortstop, the Mets still are in strong position to win this best-of-five. They have stared down the Dodgers’ Plan A. And Los Angeles has no Plan B — unless Harvey opens that door by losing to Anderson.

No surprise, the spotlight has found Harvey. Hero or goat. The ball is in Harvey’s right hand.