METS 6

BRAVES 5

After whiffing the Braves’ Andruw Jones on a 74 mph changeup, Mets starter Victor Zambrano hopped off the mound and sprinted into the dugout.

It was only the first out of the second inning, which was a terribly ominous sign.

Actually, Zambrano was visited by Willie Randolph and a Mets trainer two pitches earlier, and it took a lot of convincing for them to depart without dragging off Zambrano. The beleaguered righty left yesterday’s game with serious elbow discomfort and almost certainly will be sidelined in the near future.

The saddest twist of the saga? Some Mets teammates knew Zambrano was pitching through pain – but apparently the front office and coaching staff didn’t.

“I kinda knew coming into the game that something like that could happen,” said Darren Oliver, who worked four innings of emergency relief in the 6-5 victory. “He was feeling kinda sore in his elbow, so it wasn’t that big of a shock.

“Some things you guys don’t know about we know, know what I mean?” Teammates said Zambrano was crying in the clubhouse after coming off, and Pedro Martinez said Zambrano’s elbow swelled up like “a balloon.” Zambrano took an X-ray at Shea and was taken to the Hospital for Joint Diseases for an MRI exam.

The Mets will release the results today, but figure that Zambrano will need to be put on the disabled list and the Mets will need another starter, possibly Jeremi Gonzalez from Triple-A Norfolk.

“It’s sad. It’s too bad,” pitching coach Rick Peterson said. “You feel like you’ve been punched in the soul.” Peterson was taken aback that Zambrano was fighting elbow pain, and the news stunned both Randolph and general manager Omar Minaya.

Zambrano had gotten sick during spring training and was hampered by a hamstring that pushed back his first start, but the Mets staff thought he was free and clear of such issues.

“Players talk [amongst themselves] all the time,” Randolph said. “No one said anything to me.

“I talk to Victor all the time. He was in my office a couple days ago talking about general stuff. He never said a word to me about anything.” Martinez, Zambrano’s best friend on the team, lashed out at the media for turning Zambrano into a villain. Acquired from Tampa Bay for first-round pick Scott Kazmir at the 2004 trade deadline, Zambrano has been a pinata for fans and media due to untapped potential and constant inconsistency.

Martinez said Zambrano opted to pitch yesterday “because of the damn pressure you guys put on him every time you put him in the papers without asking him.

“I think the guy deserves a chance,” Martinez said. “Before you guys really hunt a guy, you need to do a little research.

We’re human beings, and we’re trying to do a job.

“I feel terribly sad for him.” The Mets (21-9) have shown resiliency this season.

And with a four-run seventh, they rallied for then held onto another victory over Atlanta, one that puts nine games between them and the Braves. Kaz Matsui ripped a two-run, tie-breaking double to right off Tim Hudson, and five relievers picked up the slack for Zambrano.

Jorge Julio allowed a run and put the go-ahead run on base with one out in the ninth, when Aaron Heilman began warming in the depleted Mets pen.

But Julio slammed the door shut, retiring Edgar Renteria on a groundout to short to end the game.

Before the game, the Mets put John Maine on the DL and recalled Bartolome Fortunato. Jose Lima is scheduled to start today. They’ll need to dip further into their farm system unless they move Oliver into the rotation.

As of now, Heilman isn’t a starting option.

Additional reporting by Brian Lewis.