ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Mets don’t do easy.

They live the hard life. Their GPS takes them the long way around. Always.

If the Mets had held on to two three-run leads the last two games, they would have been sitting on a nine-game winning streak.

Instead, for the second straight game, the Mets gave away an early three-run lead and wound up with another one-run loss to the Rays, 4-3 Sunday at the Trop before a mostly Mets crowd of 26,681.

The Mets could use more of a killer attitude. That is the first order of business.

They have to stop looking at themselves as overachievers with a good young pitching staff and take control of the NL East.

Don’t be a novelty act; be winners.

“It was a good road trip, it could have been a great road trip,’’ general manager Sandy Alderson said. “But this team played us very well and has got a good club, and we are happy to be 4-2 and we are looking forward to the homestand.’’

The Nationals played right into their hands again Sunday, losing to the Rockies.

The Nationals are so ripe for the taking. The Mets have to realize that.

There has to be more attention to detail. A team that is gifted four walks and three runs by Chris Archer, truly one of the best young pitchers in the game, in the second inning, needs to finish business.

Bartolo Colon let the bottom of the order be a nuisance again and gave up a home run on the fattest of fastballs to rookie and No. 7 hitter Richie Shaffer for the go-ahead run in the seventh. Colon has lost seven of his past eight decisions. Leadoff hitter John Jaso drove in the other three runs.

In the background, you can hear the fat lady singing for Colon. He did not strike out a batter over 6 ²/₃ innings.

The Mets head home to a four-game series against the last-place Rockies Monday, the same day David Wright begins the next phase of his rehab, playing in a game for the first time since April 14. He will be the DH for the Class-A St. Lucie Mets for five innings.

On Tuesday, Wright will play third base for five innings and take his at-bats. If all goes well with this phase of his rehab, Wright could be back with the Mets by the time they play the Rockies in Colorado on Aug. 21 or maybe a few days earlier or later — it’s all up to Wright.

As Wright told The Post on Thursday, he will come back ASAP — when he feels “dangerous’’ at the plate. Not before.

The Mets are 38-18 at home, and it’s time to make the most of Citi Field down the stretch. Good trades have been made, Wright is on the comeback trail, Michael Cuddyer will rejoin the team Monday from his St. Lucie rehab and it looks as if rookie Michael Conforto is staying around, too.

The Mets have hit the no-excuse portion of their schedule.

It’s on them now.

The last time the Mets were home, they swept the Nationals, and the ballpark was alive like never before. The Mets are expecting the same kind of hometown excitement. They could use a lift after two losses in which the Mets struck out 28 times.

On Sunday, their four through nine hitters were 1-for-20.

The light-hitting Rays overcame a 3-0 deficit for the second straight game, the first time they’ve done that in six years.

The Mets simply can’t allow that to happen as they are trying to make it to October for the first time since 2006.

Scholarship time is over.

“Our mind-set is we want the best 25 players we can put on the field,’’ Alderson said. “So issues of development, etc. are secondary to whether anybody can help us now. That’s all relative based on who is doing what.’’

Noted Collins, “This is when the good teams win.’’

It’s that time of year, crunch time. Make life a bit easier, Mets.