Tony DeMarco

Maybe they should have waited a while longer. It’s not even August, and the Houston Astros already have proven that their 2004 late-season rush to the playoffs was no fluke. That’s because they’re in the process of doing it again, only earlier.

After a ninth-inning win over the Mets on Thursday, the Astros had won 11 of 12, were 34-12 since June 7, and had overtaken the fading Washington Nationals for the National League wild card spot.

But now what?

“I really like our club,’’ general manager Tim Purpura said. “And I liked it in April, I liked it in May, I liked it in June. And I think as the younger players continue their progress, we’re going to continue to be a force. We’ve got three dominant (starting) pitchers. And as you head into August and September, if you have three dominant pitchers, you have a chance to win.’’

In other words, ‘peaking too soon’ isn’t a phrase you’re likely to hear in the Astros’ clubhouse these days. Not when you have Roger Clemens, Roy Oswalt and Andy Pettitte at the top of your rotation, not to mention Brad Lidge closing out games.

And, a look back to one year ago shows that the Astros certainly are in far better position now. Entering August of last season, the Astros found themselves exactly at .500, 15 ½ games behind the first-place St. Louis Cardinals, 4½ out in the wildcard race with four teams to pass.

Two weeks later, they were in deeper trouble — seven games back with six teams to pass for the last playoff spot. That’s when their 36-10 streak began, and they took the Cardinals to a Game 7 in the National League Championship Series before falling.

With two months and just less than 60 games left on the schedule, it’s hard to see the faltering Nationals remaining in the race, leaving the rest of the NL East behind the Atlanta Braves, plus the Chicago Cubs as the biggest threats to the Astros’ sixth playoff appearance in nine years.

That we’re even putting the words ‘Astros’ and ‘playoffs’ in the same sentence seemed totally unrealistic as recently as May 24, when they hit rock bottom at 15-30. At that point, they were dead last in offense. Jeff Bagwell was headed to the operating table for career-threatening shoulder surgery. Lance Berkman was back from knee surgery but not fully recovered. Rookies were everywhere on the roster; as many as eight were used. The idea that Clemens could go elsewhere even was being floated, as Houston was looking up at Milwaukee, Pittsburgh and Cincinnati in the NL Central standings.

But slowly, the offense has been catching up to pitching that has always been there, and nobody has been better in the National League since May 24. Morgan Ensberg got a much-deserved All-Star spot, center fielder Willie Taveraz isn’t Carlos Beltran but he is a solid Rookie of the Year candidate, Jason Lane and Chris Burke have solidified themselves as big-league regulars, and Dan Wheeler and Chad Qualls have emerged as solid setup men for Lidge.

“We’re all taking out turns, and that’s the sign of a good team,’’ outfielder Orlando Palmeiro said.