Joe Girardi: Phillies' Collapse vs. Mets 'Probably' Toughest Loss of My Tenure

Things were looking up for the Philadelphia Phillies. They took a 7-1 lead into the top of the ninth against their NL East rivals, the New York Mets, with the chance to end a three-game losing streak.

But relief pitchers James Norwood and Corey Knebel proceeded to give up seven runs, the Phillies couldn't rally in the bottom of the inning and they lost 8-7 on Thursday night. 

"One of them, yeah," manager Joe Girardi told reporters when asked if it was the toughest loss of his managerial career. "I've had some playoff losses that were pretty tough. But it's probably the toughest one since I've been here."

It spoiled an excellent outing from Phillies starter Aaron Nola (seven innings, three hits and one run allowed, seven strikeouts) and an outburst from Philadelphia's talented but struggling lineup, which included homers from Bryce Harper and Nick Castellanos. 

For an 11-15 Phillies team that has underachieved after the offseason additions of Castellanos and Kyle Schwarber, Thursday's game against the Mets would have been a huge win. Instead, it was a devastating loss. 

"It sucks, man," Castellanos told reporters. "There's no way around it. Baseball sometimes, sucks. Tonight sucked."

The question for Philadelphia will be how it bounces back. 

"You trust the guys in the room to get it done. You trust them," Girardi told reporters. "There's a lot of fight in that room. They'll come out fighting."

Coming into the season, the bats and starting pitching were considered strengths for the Phillies, while the bullpen and defense were major question marks. Twenty-six games later, little has changed.

As for the Mets, something special is brewing in the Big Apple. They are 19-9 and five games clear of the second-place Miami Marlins (12-12) in the NL East. After years of underachieving—the Mets last reached the postseason in 2016—the team finally appears to be a contender.

Thursday's game felt like a microcosm of each team's season. The Mets keep finding ways to win, and the Phillies seem to find creative new ways to lose.