PHILADELPHIA -- It's often said that curses exist to only those who choose to acknowledge them. Of course, the Mets would like nothing more than to neglect the ghosts of a September past.

But manager Jerry Manuel could not ignore the reality of a presence within the Mets' collective mind as August turns its back on them. Seven games up with 17 to go -- it will live on when the Mets drop games to the Phillies, or the Marlins, or anyone down the stretch.

Strangely enough, the Mets' 13-inning, 8-7 loss on Tuesday to the Phillies had a familiar set of numbers lined within the box score. Dropping a game after being up seven runs, with 17 outs to go ... who doubts the spirits of 2007 live on?

"The demons of the past," Manuel said after Wednesday night's 6-3 win, emphasizing the word "past" for dramatic effect. "It's rough, because they have been hanging around here for a whole year. We have to face that, what happened last year, every time we lose a game like [Tuesday], it's going to remind them. So we have to come back the next night and face them.

"Confront it and deal with it and move on."

As the Mets left Philadelphia for Miami, they did so having almost been in a similar predicament heading out of August's final week. In 2007, the Mets lost four straight road games to the Phillies to finish two games ahead. While it would have been only half the damage in a two-game series, a Mets loss in Wednesday's final game would have conversely put them 1 1/2 games down in the National League East.

Instead, a win in the finale put the Mets up a half-game on the second-place Phillies. That said, the Mets left that four-game sweeping in September 2007 and won 10 out of their next 12 games, moving to seven games up in the division. Then came the tumble -- starting with three more losses to the Phillies on Sept. 14-16.

Not this year, though, the Mets say, especially if everyone else seems to think the end is near.

"It seems to be, from the outside, that when we are at our most vulnerable is when we seem to pull together and find ways to win," third baseman David Wright said.

And the urgency to win will only increase when the Phillies come around to Shea Stadium in the first week of the September. Short-term memory is the greatest blessing, which Carlos Delgado said he thinks the Mets have this year.

They had already stopped thinking about the Phillies after Wednesday's win, narrowing their sights on the Marlins and 21-year-old starter Chris Volstad in Friday's game.

"Whatever happened last year, it happened," Delgado said. "We put it behind us. I think we are definitely in a different frame of mind. We are not thinking about September '07. We are thinking about, 'Let's go out and play baseball right now.'"

While Delgado plays the forgetfulness card, Manuel still sees the phantom lurking around the clubhouse. They are on the field, as well. To wrest them from the 2008 season will be a day-by-day practice, and only then can the Mets even imagine turning the calendar to October.

"We fight some demons at the same time," Manuel said. "We have to face that, as well. To come back tonight after [Tuesday's] loss, that was huge for us. Hopefully now, we'll play good baseball in Florida."