CINCINNATI -- The Reds will have to wait another day to find out if their eight-series losing streak will come to a close, and if they’re unable to turn the tide, they may look at a pivotal seventh inning in their 6-2 loss to the Pirates on Tuesday as their biggest missed opportunity yet.

The Reds could still win the series if they top the Pirates in their matinee finale on Wednesday. That would mark their first win in any series since they swept the Marlins in a four-game set at home Aug. 19-22.

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But series losses are less important than the more immediate consequences of a loss this late in the season. The Reds lost more ground to the streaking Cardinals in the National League Wild Card race, and are now four games back for the second spot. St. Louis has reeled off 10 wins in a row, including a 2-1 victory over the Brewers on Tuesday in Milwaukee.

The Reds stranded 11 baserunners in their loss to the Pirates and were unable to capitalize on a bases-loaded situation with no outs in the seventh with the heart of the order batting. That wasn’t their only chance to score, but it was their best one, and they couldn’t recreate the comeback magic they generated just one night earlier.

“We certainly felt like we were going to win that game,” manager David Bell said. “There's no question. We got in the position that we wanted to be, and we had opportunities. I’ll take our chances with that every time. It didn’t happen tonight.”

Delino DeShields and Jonathan India drew consecutive walks off Bucs reliever Nick Mears, and No. 2 hitter Max Schrock flared a single just past the dirt behind short to load the bases. The rest of the inning went quickly. Nick Castellanos popped out in foul territory, Joey Votto flied out to center and Kyle Farmer struck out looking.

“It stinks,” Farmer said. “It’s like you just get punched in the stomach and the air gets knocked out of you. It’s tough. Really no words to describe it, honestly. It’s just hard, and we just needed a big hit and it just didn’t come.”

Mears exceeded 97 mph on his fastball at times while facing the Reds’ triple threat.

“The first two batters, I got behind. And obviously, you don’t want to be behind,” Mears said. “But with Castellanos with the bases loaded, my first thought was, 'I need to get ahead here to give myself a chance,' because I have so much respect for that guy at the plate. If I had any chance, I needed to get ahead and stay ahead so that I could strike him out or pop him up to keep us in the game and keep the lead.”

The Reds had one other bases-loaded, no-out opportunity in the fourth, with only a slightly better outcome. Farmer’s single to center was sandwiched between walks to Votto and Eugenio Suárez, and TJ Friedl drove in Votto with a one-out sac fly. That pushed the Reds ahead by a run; it was the last run they scored.

“We were in the driver's seat that whole game, from what it felt like,” Farmer said. “We just didn’t push hard on the gas pedal, which is what we needed to do in these tight games.”

A promising September has taken a downturn for the Reds, who appeared to be in control of their Wild Card destiny with a forgiving schedule down the stretch. That included three series with the Pirates, who, with their win on Tuesday, are still on pace for just 61 wins. The Reds, who are 2-3 so far in this stretch with the Bucs, conclude the regular season with three games in Pittsburgh.

The Reds will undoubtedly pay just as much attention to the Cardinals, no matter who they’re playing.

“As long as you’re winning, you don’t have to worry about other teams,” Farmer said. “The Cardinals are hot. Good for them. They always get hot in September. Growing up, I’ve always watched them get hot in September. Sometimes a hot streak comes to an end maybe at the right time for us and we start a hot streak in these nine or 10 games left.”