So far this season, the Mets have swum, sunk, treaded water and swum again.

Now, with the shoreline gradually coming into view, they may finally be catching the wave they’ve been waiting for.

Luis Castillo’s RBI single capped a two-run rally in the bottom of the ninth off Trevor Hoffman and Carlos Beltran stayed red-hot with a home run and season-high five RBI as the Mets edged San Diego, 7-6, on a fall-like evening at Shea Stadium.

A wild Billy Wagner surrendered a run in the ninth but was bailed out by a streaking offense that has scored five runs or more in nine straight games.

After Kevin Kouzmanoff gave the Padres a 6-5 edge with a sacrifice fly in the top of the ninth, the bottom of New York’s order got things started against the all-time saves leader in the bottom half.

Lastings Milledge singled sharply to left to start the inning and was sacrificed to second by Mike DiFelice. With Wagner’s spot due up, Mets skipper Willie Randolph sent up pinch-hitter Marlon Anderson, who was 3-for-6 lifetime against Hoffman (2-4).

The left-hander came through with a soft single to plate Milledge with the tying run. After a Jose Reyes blooper fell in front of Mike Cameron in center, Castillo (1-for-3, RBI) grounded a ball up the middle to score Anderson with New York’s seventh walk-off win of the year.

The wild finish overshadowed another sterling effort from Beltran (3-for-3, 2B, HR, 5 RBI), who has driven home nine runs in his last two games.

The Mets center-fielder slammed a two-run homer in the first off Padres starter Chris Young and added a two-run double in the third, which extended a 2-1 lead.

Young, who entered the game with a major league-best 1.93 ERA, surrendered four runs on five hits and two walks with five strikeouts in five innings. He was lifted with what was termed ‘lower back pain’ after throwing just 64 pitches.

San Diego battled back off New York starter John Maine, who tossed 118 pitches in 5 2/3 innings after lasting just five frames in his previous start.

A Milton Bradley RBI single in the top of the third sliced the deficit to 2-1, and after the Mets took control with a three-run lead, Cameron (2-for-3, 2B, HR, 2 RBI) belted a solo homer leading off the sixth to make it 4-2. Josh Bard doubled with two outs and Marcus Giles’ pinch-hit RBI triple got past a sliding Moises Alou in left to cut New York’s lead to one, which put an end to Maine’s evening.

The right-hander allowed three runs on six hits and four walks with four strikeouts once Scott Schoeneweis relieved and struck out Brian Giles for the final out.

The Padres continued their comeback in the top of the seventh off Schoeneweis with two outs and nobody on.

Adrian Gonzalez singled to right and took second when Milledge bobbled the ball for an error. Jorge Sosa was brought in and promptly served up a game-tying double to Cameron, who scored the go-ahead run on Khalil Greene’s soft single to center.

San Diego reliever Cla Meredith retired New York in order in the seventh, and after Aaron Heilman extricated himself from a first-and-third, no-out jam in the top of the eighth, ex-Met Heath Bell was brought in to hold the score.

The Mets had other ideas, however, as Reyes (2-for-5, SB) singled and stole his 64th base of the season, tying his career-high set in 2005. After a sacrifice by Castillo and a walk to David Wright, Beltran singled to left, tying the game, 5-5.

The reigning National League Player of the Week is batting .351 (13-for-37) with six home runs and 18 RBI since coming off the 15-day disabled Aug. 10.

San Diego, though, immediately re-took the lead off Wagner (2-1) in the ninth.

Bradley (2-for-3, RBI) singled to start the inning and after Gonzalez struck out, Cameron walked and Greene was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Kouzmanoff followed with a sac fly to right, which seemed to set the stage for what looked to be an inevitable victory with Hoffman and his 513 career saves coming into the game.

The surging Mets (71-53) will go for their ninth straight home win over San Diego on Wednesday and a season-high fifth straight overall, but it will not be easy. Brian Lawrence (1-0, 5.06) will toe the rubber in his fourth start with New York, hoping to lead his club to their eighth win in nine games. The 31-year-old was handed a 5-0 lead last Thursday in Pittsburgh, but surrendered four runs in five innings and was not involved in a crushing, 10-7 defeat. New York hasn’t lost since. This will be the first start of Lawrence’s career against San Diego, whom he spent his first five seasons with, winning 49 games, including a career-high, 15 in 2004.

Thanks to three straight losses by the division-leading Diamondbacks, the Padres (66-58) remain just 3 1/2 games out of first despite losing for the third time in four games. Originally slated to start on Thursday, Jake Peavy (13-5, 2.19) will move up a day and make his turn on regular rest. The hard-throwing right-hander is 4-0 with a 1.07 ERA over his last five starts following a five-game winless stretch (0-4). Included in that losing streak was a 7-0 loss to the Mets back on July 17 when Peavy was charged with three runs and six hits over six innings.

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