Free-spending Mets can’t buy first victory

ATLANTA — The New York Mets stumbled into today as baseball’s only team without a win.

After three straight losing seasons, the Mets were big spenders in the free-agent market during the winter, and didn’t envision having their first 0-4 start since 1964.

After Saturday’s 6-3 loss to Atlanta, the 0-5 Mets are more than halfway to the 0-9 start of the terrible group from 1962.

“I think the toughest thing now is not to panic because we’re playing good baseball,” said right fielder Mike Cameron, who was placed on the disabled list Friday with tendinitis in his left wrist. “We just haven’t had a few breaks. Sometimes in New York that can be magnified greatly.”

The Mets were swept in their season-opening three-game series at Cincinnati, and then lost games to the Braves on Friday and Saturday nights.

The last thing New York wants is to be winless when it plays its home opener against the Houston Astros on Monday.

“We certainly don’t want to go home without having won a game,” said Tom Glavine, who will start the team’s first home game. “Hopefully we can win … here and get things going in the right direction.”

After finishing a combined 86 games behind the Braves the last three seasons, the Mets entered this year with high expectations.

New York signed All-Star center fielder Carlos Beltran to a seven-year, $119 million deal, and Pedro Martinez, one of baseball’s elite pitchers the last decade, to a four-year, $53 million contract.

When pitcher Steve Trachsel suffered a back injury in spring training that could keep him out for most or all of the season, general manager Omar Minaya acted quickly, acquiring Japanese left-hander Kazuhisa Ishii from the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Overall, more than half of the team — 13 players on the 25-man roster — is new, and the Mets have the National League’s highest payroll at $105 million.

Now, with the team stumbling out of the gate, the emphasis has turned to simply avoiding a panic before the team returns to New York to face impatient fans and media.

If the Mets already are pressing, first-year manager Willie Randolph said he doesn’t mind.

“Pressing is a natural thing for anyone,” Randolph said. “When you want to win and things don’t work out, you tend to press. Pressing is just trying a little too hard. I don’t mind that.”

Joining Cameron and Trachsel on the disabled list for the Mets is pitcher Kris Benson, who has a strained pectoral muscle. Acquired in a trade with Pittsburgh last July, Benson signed a three-year, $22.5 million contract with New York.

When Cameron was placed on the disabled list, pitcher Aaron Heilman was recalled from Norfolk to take Benson’s spot in the rotation Saturday night.

Heilman stepped into the pressure of trying to pitch the Mets to their first win, but Glavine will have to handle the more intense pressure of the home opener.

“I’m sure there are all kinds of emotions going on back home, whether it’s panic or people saying the season is over or whatever,” Glavine said.

“I still feel very confident about our club and what we’re able to do. We just have to hurry up and get it started.”