Johan Santana (pictured) had become team player again as he spoke in the clubhouse here in Philadelphia late Friday night, although the stress and frustration still showed in his face.

The Mets’ $137.5 Million Man wasn’t a popular man in their clubhouse last weekend after blaming teammates for yet another loss -– this one a 3-2 crusher to the Yankees — in which Santana pitched well but got precious little run support.

But when they did the same thing Friday against the rival Phillies, scoring just two runs for Santana in an eventual 3-2 loss while he pitched eight complete innings for the first time as a Met, he took a noticeably different tact.

Even though the Mets have scored just 12 runs combined in his past six starts, no fingers were pointed. Nobody was thrown under the bus. Santana’s soft voice wasn’t raised.

“It’s just another game,” Santana said, sounding nothing like he did in the same spot six days before. “Things didn’t work out good enough to win this game. I was trying and battling and doing my best to give this team a chance to win the game. I was trying, man.”

The noticeable about-face likely was due in part to words from Jerry Manuel and pitching coach Dan Warthen after last week’s comments. After all, it didn’t appear to be a coincidence when a moral about selflessness was posted in the clubhouse the following day after Santana’s words blared from the back page.

“Rare is the person who can weigh the faults of others without putting his thumb on the scales,” read the note, which was placed next to the Mets’ lineup card but seemed to be a direct shot at Santana.

So it was little surprise, then, that a chastened Santana –- who hasn’t won since June 1 — faulted only himself and fate for the Mets’ latest punchless effort with their ace left-hander on the mound.

“They just hit the ball to the right spot,” he said of the Phillies’ two-out, two-run rally in the sixth Friday night. “They just put together a good inning and kept it going long enough to tie the ballgame.”

Despite repeated questions about the lack of run support, which has resulted in Santana having a mere 7-7 record despite a sparking 2.96 ERA, Santana wouldn’t go off his message.

At the same time, Santana appeared to be straining not to say how he really felt. And as he walked away, he was overheard telling a clubhouse confidant: “What can I do?”

Manuel and the rest of the Mets’ hierarchy are keenly aware of Santana’s frustration. They might have scolded him for so blatantly calling out teammates, but Manuel and Warthen are offering as much verbal support as possible.

“Things just haven’t gone his way, but they will,” Manuel said. “I project that at some point he’ll reel off six or seven straight. That’s the kind of stuff he has.”

Of course, Santana’s backers contend Manuel could have offered him more literal support Friday by starting a better lineup. Despite it being the opener of a pivotal NL East series with the Mets’ biggest rival, Manuel rested red-hot right fielder Ryan Church until finally using him as a pinch-hitter and in the field in the ninth inning.

The predictable result was another meager night offensively for the Mets with Santana starting. But as frustrated as he appears to be, Santana says he is in no danger of becoming demoralized.

“The good thing is that I’m feeling good and have all my pitches working together,” he said. “It’s just a matter of time, although the sooner, the better.”