CENTRAL ISLIP, NY — Five months and 126 games led to a familiar destination for the Ducks. The club already secured a fourth consecutive trip to the playoffs entering yesterday’s regular season finale, setting up a meeting with the Newark Bears in the Atlantic League’s best-of-three first round series.

Jared Price’s game-winning extra-inning home run Saturday clinched the North Division’s second-half title, putting the Ducks in position to capture its first championship since 2004. In the final tune-up before the postseason, John Halama became the latest starting pitcher to finish the ledger on a positive note. The Brooklyn native limited the York Revolution to one run on four hits in six innings in a 1-0 matinee loss at Citibank Park.

Halama is the only rotation member to crack the league’s top-10 ERA mark. Yet he will be the fifth starter behind Ed Yarnall, Randy Leek, Lance Davis and Bill Pulsipher. Halama’s only chance to start would come in the best-of-five championship round against the South Division representative should his team advance that far.

Yarnall, Leek and Pulsipher each recorded lower earned-run-averages than Halama, yet they did not log enough innings to qualify. Catcher Jamie Pogue said each probable starter possess different attributes that will be needed to curtail a deep lineup.

“Eddie, he’s real aggressive with the fastball. There’s some real cutting action,” Pogue said. “Randy is a guy who can put it on a dime all four pitches. He’ll throw some sliders to lefties and he’s got a great changeup. Gator [Davis] is a little the same as Randy, with a little more velocity. There’s a lot of differential between the fastball and the changeup, and he mixes in the curveball as well.”

Halama’s only mistake came with two outs in the sixth. Luis Taveras lined an arching solo home run to straightaway centerfield, clearing the yellow line right in front of the dark-green batter’s eye to break a scoreless tie.

The offense looked ready to head into the impending off-day, the first respite since Aug. 19. With team RBI-leader Carl Everett resting his hamstring, the Ducks were shut-out for the first time all season after Wayne Franklin limited them to five hits over eight innings.

After playing 27 straight games without a breather, the Ducks will be rested for Game 1 in Newark Tuesday night. Franklin ensured the opposing lineup wasn’t too taxed, preventing the home team from advancing a runner beyond second base.

Manager Dave LaPoint called on set-up man Joe Valentine to pitch the eighth and closer Danny Graves to take the mound in the ninth, giving his two most valuable relievers a chance to get in some work before the playoff start. Graves made his league-leading 62nd appearance, though the former major leaguer said is feels well rested and thrives with more appearances.

“I’ve always been a guy throughout my career where the more frequently I pitched, the better I am,” said Graves, who led the league with 33 saves. That marked was 10 ahead of Somerset’s R.D. Spiehs for the second spot. “Here, usually the most I get off is two days in a row. One time all year, I had three days off.

“That’s what I like. I hate sitting there watching. I’m glad I’ve been able to get frequent work.”

Yarnall will oppose Harold Eckert in Game 1 Tuesday night in Newark. The series will shift to Suffolk County the following night, when Leek will go up against Jose Garcia. Should Game 3 be necessary, Davis will face Mark Woodyard.

Notes: The attendance was 6,424…The Ducks finished the second half 37-26, with the overall record at 72-54…LaPoint said Everett should be in the lineup Tuesday…Gabe Suarez started at shortstop while Edgardo Alfonzo was the designated hitter. Suarez committed two errors, though the miscues didn’t lead to any unearned runs.

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