Two months ago, it seemed certain: Not only was Tim Lincecum (17-5) the best young pitcher in baseball, but he was going to win a Cy Young award at the age of 24 pitching for an awful San Francisco Giants team that reeks offensively (last in the majors in homers; third to last in slugging). But he’s “stumbled” down the stretch, losing his last two and watching his ERA “balloon” from 2.43 to 2.66 in the last four weeks as the Giants meander through meaningless games.

Santana (15-7), meanwhile, has been the $137.5 million man Flushing desperately needed – he hasn’t lost a start since the end of June, and in his last 10 outings, the Mets have won nine and Santana’s got six wins. (If not for a bullpen less reliable than our 1997 Mazda Protege, Santana would probably have 20 victories). And his ERA has dipped below Lincecum’s (2.64). If Ryan Howard is in the MVP mix because of a ridiculous September, and Carlos Delgado’s being considered because of a torrid last two months, and ditto for Manny, since the trade … does Santana warrant serious consideration?

As of this moment, the case could be made that Santana’s the primary reason the Mets are a game up in the wild card race with five to play. It seems unlikely that Santana will pitch again in the regular season – if he does, he’ll only be available for one game in the NLDS. So if you’re punching a ballot, is it Lincecum or Santana?