Manuel dismissed any lingering patience with his veteran relievers after a loss yesterday that was unacceptable and unfathomable. The Pirates essentially were trying to surrender at Shea, yet the Mets bullpen burned the white flag and another sure victory went up in smoke.

So following a 7-5 loss to Pittsburgh, Manuel said this about who will provide the key outs late in games the rest of this season: “Everything from here on out is a possibility.” Manuel shared some options at a post-game news conference, but The Post has learned all three main scenarios the organization is now mulling:

1. Have Eddie Kunz, who has all of three major league appearances, reprise his Double-A closing role, at least until Billy Wagner returns, which is currently scheduled for Monday. This is the most likely choice.

2. Keep Brian Stokesin the rotation and call upon either John Maine or Oliver Perez to serve as a multi-inning fireman. For now the Mets don’t want to mess with Mike Pelfrey by requesting a rotation-to-pen change.

3. Summon top pitching prospect Jon Niese for the rotation and use Stokes plus either Maine or Perez to serve as the main late-inning relievers.

Kunz, Maine and Perez all said they were game for any assignment. Yet, all of these scenarios are drenched in peril. Kunz lacks experience or a dependable second pitch. Stokes has just one major league start this year and was a culprit last year in a Tampa pen that was one of the worst ever. Maine is only now ready to come off the DL from a strained rotator cuff, so you wonder how his arm would respond to a change in preparation. Perez has been the Mets’ co-best starter with Johan Santana for two months.

It speaks to Manuel’s desperation – and that of his team – that he is considering the radical with 42 games remaining. He said, “We can’t continue to perform this way late in games.” But a loss like yesterday’s is just so demoralizing and the pen problems now are so episodic that Manuel lost his serenity and put all contingency plans on the table.

Finally someone in the Mets organization is ready to face the cold hard facts. Aaron Heilman is ineffective as a closer or even eighth inning work, Pedro Feliciano and Scott Schoeneweis are specialists and not suited to pitch to more than one or two batters and that Joe Smith is over worked and under matched for the role the Mets expect him to play.

Those plans are all valid and logical options for stopping the bleeding. A few thoughts:

-Moving one of the starters to the pen is dicey as robbing Peter to pay Paul doesn’t raise the talent level.

-A better option than Niese replacing Maine or Perez probably would have Niese assigned the role of long reliever. Keep in mind, it the Mets were way in front or out of the race, Niese would be up for a cup of coffee and likely in that role anyway. The Mets desperately need a pitcher that can be called upon to get 6-12 outs per appearence. An attempt to keep him away from situational pressure is offset by the Mets competing in a pennant race in New York in late August and September. The pressure is everywhere.

-For some reason, I think a move to the bullpen might somehow affect the rock of mental stability that is Oliver Perez

-El Duque would be great here, but I have a feeling he’s done for good.

-Kunz in a more substantial role, even closer just makes sense. Even if he blows a save or two, it would have happened anyway with Heilman or Schoeneweis.

-Stokes to the pen probably won’t help much, though it can’t hurt in comparison to recent pen performance.

Bottom line is this team desperately needs an almost complete bullpen overhaul. The three options Sherman has laid out may ease the pen’s workload, but an outside arm is essential. Minaya desperately needs to work a post deadline deal or start signing players off the scrap heap if there is a prayer of saving this season.

“Closer in the making” -Billy Wagner on Aaron Heilman, Spring Training 2008

Even with Wagner’s grandstanding, empty proclamation, it’s obvious to even the most casual observer that Heilman is not a closer of the past, present or future. “He maybe a closer in another dimension” said the weird guy wearing a Lord of the Rings t-shirt, “but that’s just ridiculous.”

Only hours after being named interim closer by default and Billy Wagner’s endorsement as a closer in the making, Aaron Heilman took the mound at Shea Stadium with a 6-2 lead and the task of collecting the last three outs. Only moments later, Heilman had soiled walked the leadoff hitter, allowed a bloop hit, allowed a homerun to a punch and Judy hitter and soiled himself before dejectedly slinking into the dugout.

Coming as a shock to absolutely no one, Heilman was completely ineffective as the ninth inning pitcher, unsuccessfully deceiving hitters or locating his change up, or as it’s been know around the league, “the homerun ball.”

Manuel had foolishly selected Heilman as his interim closer, referring to the veteran right-hander as “a cross-over pitcher” in that he gives up homeruns against weak right-handed and left-handed hitters alike.

Manuel also made nonsensical assertions that Heilman’s changeup could be effective as an out pitch in late game, pressure situations.

In the aftermath of the Mets’ 6-5 victory against the Padres on Tuesday night, the Jerry Manuel opened a bottle of water and asked out loud if it could be changed to wine. It was a stunningly frightening indication that the Mets manager had become so delusional he actually believed he was Jesus.

Before the homestand began, Manuel had used the phrase “closer by committee” and soon after, he acknowledged Heilman would do most of the closing, or in other words, be the committee chairman.

Chairman Heilman accepted the challenge and immediately disbanded the committee and filed for chapter 11, but not before ciphering off enough company assets into accounts in the Cayman Islands that investors lost their lifesavings.

It’s been a long, strange fall from grace for Heilman. After being the Mets first draft pick in 2001, Heilman was actually held in high regard by Mets management. Unbelievably Heilman made an impressive start, pitching a complete game one hitter. But, it was all downhill from there.

After surrendering a homerun in the 2006 NLCS to Yadier Molina, bitching about a parking spot in spring training, countless multiple run innings and gutless performances, Heilman arrived at Shea Wednesday afternoon to find the personal effects of his locker laying in the gutter on Roosevelt Avenue and banned for life from Shea Stadium.

As Heilman ran down Roosevelt Avenue, chased by angry Mets fans hurling bags of their own urine, it served as a perfect microcosm of his career with the Mets.

The roster moves were likely born out of necessity instead of a shift in team philosophy. With Ryan Church’s return uncertain, Moises Alou out for the season, John Maine and Billy Wagner both struggling with injury and no help to be found at the deadline, what else are they going to do? Bring up the young kids, why not?

Although the Mets offense has been failing lately, they should be able to compensate for Church’s extended absence. The most pressing concern is the state of the bullpen which will require a intense off-season overhaul. None of the current arms are capable of closing in Wagner’s place, and the odds of a 23 year old rookie closing in a pennant race aren’t in the Mets’ favor.

But take heart, the Mets don’t figure to be in the pennant race much longer. Of course a quick and early end to the season might prove refreshing than another August/September swoon and slow death of a team that is less than the sum of its parts.

So what the hell, lets all sit back and watch these four prospects who, depending on who you believe are either highly talented or overvalued. The July surge was nice, but likely an anomaly in another high expectation, also-ran Mets season plagued once again by a stagnant offense and poor bullpen performance.

2009 isn’t that far away.