Ryan Church no longer carries a grudge when it comes to the Nationals. Life as a Met, he says, is just too good to be bitter anymore. “I wanted to hit a home run every time I came up against them in spring training, but all of that emotion is gone now,” Church said before going 2-for-5 with two RBIs and a run scored in tonight’s 7-2 win in Washington.

The Mets’ right fielder felt he had reason to be angry with the Nationals, especially GM Jim Bowden. Church’s grievance: Washington helped him earn a bad reputation hitting against left-handers last year, then abandoned him along with catcher Brian Schneider in the Lastings Milledge trade over the winter.

But Church has decided that bygones are now bygones, which he admits is easy to do with the team-leading .338 average he carried into last night. The Nationals’ 6-16 record — the worst in baseball — has eased his pain, too.

“Let’s just say that I couldn’t be happier,’’ Church said of being a Met.

Church’s hot bat keeps earning him promotions with the Amazin’s, too. After being buried near the bottom of the order early in the season, Church hit No. 2 last week before being chosen to replace the slumping Carlos Delgado in the No. 5 hole starting tonight.

“Church is swinging it better, so I thought I would throw him in there and see if we can get something going,’’ Willie Randolph said before tonight’s game.

Church is most proud of his about-face hitting against left-handers since coming to the Mets.

Bowden and Nationals manager Manny Acta had no confidence in Church’s ability to succeed against lefties last year, sitting him in those situations as he just .229.

But Church has rebounded forcefully in that department this year, hitting .355 in his first 31 at-bats.

“I always felt I could do it,” he said. “I never lost that confidence. It’s just been good to have somebody believe in me.”

Church didn’t feel that way in Washington, but he refuses to pounce on the Nationals when they’re obviously down and rebuilding. If anything, Church now hopes to see the franchise succeed –- to a point, of course, since Washington is in the same division.

“They’ve got the right things in place,” he said of the Nationals. “They have a plan, and they’re going to stick to it. It’s going to take time, but they’re headed in the right direction.”