Mets' fortunes changed dramatically from April to All-Star break

At last season's All-Star break, Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran were only at the start of their extended stays on the disabled list and the injury-ravaged Mets were 42-45, 6 ½ games behind the first-place Phillies.

Now, a year later, the Mets are 48-40, trailing the Braves by four games and just one game off the wild-card lead - with Reyes and Beltran expected back when the second half begins Thursday. Here are a few things to ponder as the Mets rest up in anticipation of once again playing meaningful games in September:

Chopping block to extension talk?

Jerry Manuel has pulled off what many believed to be impossible before this season began - he's still employed at the All-Star break. Heading into the final 10 weeks of his existing contract, it would take an epic collapse to prevent Manuel from reaching the finish line. If the Mets stay on this winning pace and earn their first postseason berth since 2006, Manuel won't have to worry about job security for a while. Though his in-game strategy is curious at times and he burns through relievers at an alarming rate, Manuel has transformed these Mets into a resilient bunch that has learned to use cavernous Citi Field to its advantage. But one unanswered question remains: Can Manuel steer clear of the September pitfalls that have haunted this team in the past?

The Beltran conundrum

The Mets finally will have Beltran in centerfield, and batting cleanup, when they open the second half against the Giants at AT&T Park. But what can the club reasonably expect from the five-time All-Star coming off his second knee surgery in two years? At age 33, Beltran returns with a brace to protect his arthritic right knee, and he hasn't faced anything better than Class A pitching since the end of last season, when he came back from an 11-week DL stint to play the final 19 games (.284, two homers, eight RBIs). Manuel also has to figure out how often he can play Beltran as well as balance the other three outfielders in the equation. The manager insists that Jason Bay is safe in leftfield, but trying to keep Angel Pagan and Jeff Francoeur performing at optimal levels might prove to be a challenge. Manuel has no choice but to give Pagan the majority of the starts in rightfield - when he's not giving Beltran a breather in center.

Why does Big Pelf keep coming up small?Maybe Phillies manager Charlie Manuel, the skipper of the NL squad, knew something the rest of us didn't when he passed over Mike Pelfrey - twice - for his All-Star roster. Since earning his 10th victory June 25, Pelfrey is 0-2 with a 10.13 ERA and has not made it past the fifth inning in those three starts. He also has allowed 33 hits in 131/3 innings in that stretch and has shown signs of reverting to his old ways, the Pelfrey who sabotaged himself with mental lapses in tough spots. Pelfrey has been battling a nagging blister on his right index finger that could be interfering with his splitter - a breakthrough pitch for him this season - and he complained of shoulder fatigue, similar to a dead-arm period, in the days leading up to the break. Whatever the reason, the Mets desperately need Pelfrey to rebound.

Get ready for the party-crashers

Last season, the Mets spent the entire second half hoping for the speedy return of a bunch of injured players. That's not the case this year; the front office has exhausted every stall tactic to keep Oliver Perez and Luis Castillo in rehab limbo for as long as the rules will allow. Well, that time is running out, and unless the Mets consult the New England Journal of Medicine for some exotic new ailments, they're going to need to somehow make room for two of the sport's worst contracts. Perez is 1-1 with a 3.24 ERA in three rehab starts, but he was unimpressive Sunday in his first one for Triple-A Buffalo, when he threw 100 pitches (52 for strikes) in five innings. Perez will have to be activated by the end of the month, but his role has yet to be determined. The Mets have 20 days to activate Castillo once he begins a rehab assignment this week and he could return during the West Coast trip.

Deal or no deal?

The Mets can talk all they want about the surprising contributions of R.A. Dickey and, to a lesser extent, Hisanori Takahashi. Maybe Manuel could even find a legitimate setup guy among a mediocre list of in-house candidates that includes Bobby Parnell and Ryota Igarashi. But the Mets got lucky with these patch jobs in the first half and really need to reinforce these areas with a trade or two before the July 31 non-waivers deadline. Cliff Lee would have been a great fit, but the Mariners' asking price of Ike Davis killed those talks before they could even begin. Roy Oswalt and Dan Haren seem too expensive, and the Mets aren't bowled over by the next tier of options, so Omar Minaya might need to get creative.

The Mets went 13-5 in an interleague schedule that included the Yankees, Tigers and Twins in the first half, and things get a little easier after an 11-game West Coast trip that opens the second half. After the break, the Mets have 20 of their final 74 games against the Astros (.404), Diamondbacks (.382) and Pirates (.341). That should help them get to 88-74 and win the NL wild card.