MET NOTES

The Mets responded to Monday night’s division clinching by resting all eight regular players last night. It was a motley crew in the starting lineup after the team earned its first NL East title since 1988.

Anderson Hernandez led off and played short, Endy Chavez was in center, Lastings Milledge was in left, Julio Franco played third, Michael Tucker started at first, Chris Woodward was the second baseman, Ricky Ledee played right and Mike DiFelice caught.

Franco made only his second career start at third, his other coming Oct. 2, 1982, as a Phillie versus the Mets.

Tucker had only started 18 career games at first entering this season.

“We’ve got our A-minus squad out there tonight, and we’ll probably end up scoring 10 runs,” manager Willie Randolph predicted.

Randolph acknowledged that the Mets have a responsibility to play out the schedule with integrity because they’re facing wild-card hopefuls such as Florida. But he wanted to rest players such as Carlos Beltran, who he said was “banged up” with normal soreness.

“I’m going to look out for my team first,” he noted.

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Billy Wagner said the Mets should shoot to win 100 games, a feat they can accomplish by going 9-4 in their final 13.

“I think the worst thing for any of us is to try to pitch in a spring-training role,” Wagner said.

“You’ve got to pitch like you’ve got a one-game lead and you’ve got to keep that intensity.” Wagner thinks players should continue to work hard and refine their craft before the Division Series begins.

“Honestly, if this was a one-run game [Monday] night, I don’t get away with the [garbage] I threw,” he said. “I was all over the place.”

Carlos Delgado, who will play in the playoffs for the first time in his career, said the Mets can’t be satisfied now that they’ve gotten there.

“We haven’t done nothing yet,” he said.