The Nationals’ nightmarish ninth inning just wouldn’t end.

Washington entered it with the feel-good vibes of a two-run lead, courtesy of Jorbit Vivas’ three-run shot that negated the momentum the Phillies built in the top half of the eighth. But a shaky bullpen reared its head once again.

Right-hander Brad Lord — by far the most reliable of the Nationals’ relievers — recorded back-to-back strikeouts. Victory was imminent, but Lord couldn’t record that elusive third out. He allowed a single to former National Trea Turner and a two-run shot to Brandon Marsh that tied the game.

Leaving the top half of the ninth with a tie ballgame and the possibility of getting a walk-off win was still in play. But Lord continued spiraling and the Phillies’ hitters kept thriving. Lord allowed back-to-back singles to Bryce Harper and Derek Hill before another crushing homer, this time by Bryson Stott, gave the Phillies a three-run lead.

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Lord walked J.T. Realmuto before he was mercifully pulled for right-hander Paxton Schultz after allowing six runs in two-thirds of an inning.

Schultz didn’t look much better. He allowed a single to Gabriel Rincones Jr., a two-run double to Edmundo Sosa, a walk to Justin Crawford and an RBI single to Turner.

With runners on the corners, he finally put an end to the bloodshed by striking out Marsh.

Nothing went right in the eight-run ninth that sunk the Nationals in this 14-9 loss. Every ball found grass, and their relievers couldn’t either find the zone or left pitches in the middle of it.

Tuesday’s loss was just as unfathomable as the meltdown in San Francisco two weeks prior, when the team blew an eight-run lead and lost on a walk-off grand slam. For as dominant as the offense looked, the bullpen looked just as feeble. The Phillies turned a high-scoring, back-and-forth affair into a blowout.

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The Nationals should have been celebrating. The offense scored five runs off left-hander Jesús Luzardo, which should have been enough to win enough under normal circumstances. But the bullpen and defense let down the offense on a night where the offense looked imposing despite the late scratch of shortstop CJ Abrams.

They should have been basking in the glow of beating the Phillies for the second consecutive game. Heck, the offense did just enough to put the team in position to win the game twice. Instead, they’re going home with a feeling that they left a win on the table.

The Nationals blew a two-run lead in the eighth, when right fielder James Wood lost the handle on a low liner off the bat of Realmuto with the bases loaded, but Vivas responded with his three-run shot to take the lead back.

Washington is going to feel one. This loss isn’t a game where they got beat; it’s a loss where they couldn’t execute and watched a win get taken from them.

If the Nationals want to make good on their pursuit of a wild-card spot, the bullpen needs to step up — and fast.