Nationals lose topsy-turvy game after allowing 8 runs to the Phillies in the 9th inning

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 homer that negated the momentum that 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 seemed imminent, but Lord couldn’t get that final strike. Former National Trea Turner jumped on a 2-2 fastball in the zone and Brandon Marsh followed it up with a two-run shot 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 second baseman Bryson Stott, gave the Phillies a three-run lead.

“It just felt like he wasn’t able to make a pitch and execute there,” manager Blake Butera said. “They were on everything.”

Lord walked catcher J.T. Realmuto before he was mercifully pulled for right-hander Paxton Schultz.

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. After the game, the Nationals optioned Schultz to Triple-A Rochester.

Nothing went right in the eight-run ninth that sunk the Nationals (41-39) in this 14-9 loss. Every ball found grass, and their relievers either couldn’t find the zone or left pitches in the middle of it.

“It sucks,” said Lord, who allowed six runs in two-thirds of an inning. “Coming in with the lead, looking to get the save, and to be one strike away then give it up like that ... that hurts.”

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.

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 hitters looked imposing, despite the late scratch of shortstop CJ Abrams.

They should have been basking in the glow of beating their division rivals 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.

“As tough as the loss is, it feels like we had multiple chances [to win],” said Wood, who went 0-for-5 with three strikeouts. “I just think knowing that‚ and knowing that we were in the game and how good we are, we’ll be just fine."

Butera invoked a similar message to the one he issued after the San Francisco loss, saying that Tuesday’s loss was “as frustrating of a loss as I’ve ever been a part of.” The Nationals know how big of a series this is for them because they’re facing another NL East team fighting for a wild-card spot.

The implosion against the Giants, he said at the time, “should sting.” His team responded with a series win at home against the Mariners.

“I’m curious to see how we bounce back,” Butera said Tuesday. “I’m curious to see how we respond.”

Lord said postgame that he left too many pitches in the heart of the zone but that he felt like his stuff was good. He said that not delivering for his team serves as fuel for him.

“It makes you want to go out there and do that much better the next time out,” he said.

Butera said it’s important that the coaching staff lets Lord know they still believe in him because they’ll need him at his best the rest of the season.

Tuesday’s loss was the perfect encapsulation of what makes the Nationals so tantalizing, yet frustrating. Explosive, yet untrustworthy.

Washington entered Tuesday with the seventh-highest bullpen ERA in the majors (5.06) and the lowest strikeouts per nine innings. The unit’s ability to put guys away with two strikes bit them against Philadelphia.

If the Nationals want to make good on their pursuit of a wild-card spot, the bullpen needs to step up — and fast. The offense instills hope, but the bullpen erodes any optimism.

“That whole clubhouse is pretty fired up right now,” Butera said. “We have to take a step back and realize this is a big series. We won yesterday [and] should have won today as well. [We] have two more games against these guys; we got to come out ready to go.”