ST. LOUIS -- Clinging to a one-run lead with two on and one out in the seventh inning, Pirates manager Clint Hurdle climbed out of Pittsburgh’s dugout to take the ball from veteran lefty Francisco Liriano and summon right-hander Michael Feliz from the bullpen to face Cardinals slugger Paul Goldschmidt.

The Pirates did not tab Feliz for high-leverage work heading into the season, but they thrust the right-hander into the most important moment of Wednesday’s series finale at Busch Stadium based on his recent success and the matchup with the right-handed Goldschmidt. Five pitches later, the Cardinals had a two-run lead and the Pirates were on their way to a deflating, 6-5 loss that capped a 1-5 road trip to begin the second half.

• Box score

The Pirates rallied for one run in the ninth, as Bryan Reynolds drove in Josh Bell with a two-out single to right, but Carlos Martinez got Starling Marte to bounce into a game-ending force-out.

The Pirates entered the All-Star break only 2 1/2 games behind the National League Central-leading Cubs. After six days in Chicago and St. Louis, they headed home Wednesday night trailing the Cubs by 6 1/2 games in the standings.

“The off-day couldn’t come at a better time. Obviously these first two series haven’t been great,” said starter Chris Archer, who struck out eight while allowing three runs over six innings. “Plenty of season left. I like our team. I like our guys. We’re much better than what we’ve shown.”

The Pirates must believe their pitching staff will be better, as they allowed 36 runs during their first six games of the second half. They viewed their bullpen as a strength at the outset of the year, but now they’ll need answers to emerge there if they’re going to make a run before the Trade Deadline.

Pittsburgh brought back closer Felipe Vazquez this year alongside setup men Keone Kela, Kyle Crick and Richard Rodriguez, and they acquired the veteran lefty Liriano to complement that group. But things have not gone according to plan in Pittsburgh’s ‘pen.

Pitching with a sore shoulder, Kela was occasionally ineffective in April and injured on May 6, though he is getting closer to returning. Crick was dominant for the better part of three months, but he struggled with his control and gave up six runs over 4 1/3 innings in his last five appearances before working a clean eighth on Wednesday. Those developments left Liriano and Rodriguez as the Bucs’ top relief options in front of Vazquez, the two-time All-Star.

So when Archer exited Wednesday’s game with a lead after throwing 101 pitches in six innings, Hurdle turned to Liriano in the seventh with Rodriguez presumably in line for the eighth and Vazquez ready for the ninth. To pull off that plan, though, they needed to preserve that lead.

Liriano retired the Cardinals’ first hitter, Harrison Bader, then surrendered a single to Tommy Edman. Liriano was one strike away from setting down Jose Martinez, but he walked him. Up came Goldschmidt with hot-hitting Tyler O’Neill on deck, and out went Liriano.

Why remove the veteran Liriano in favor of Feliz? Right-handers are batting just .192 against Feliz this season, but they’re only hitting .198 against Liriano. Goldschmidt owns a .935 OPS against lefties this year compared to a .727 mark against right-handers, however. And Goldschmidt has had past success against Liriano, entering the day 3-for-9 with a homer and six walks in 15 plate appearances.

Hurdle said their reasoning went deeper than that.

“Feliz’s stuff matches up better against Goldschmidt and O’Neill than anybody else we’ve got -- Rodriguez, Liriano,” Hurdle said. “Goldschmidt and O’Neill were 0-for-5 [with three strikeouts] against him coming in, and [Feliz] didn’t give up his first inherited runs until [Friday] in Wrigley when he pitched. Unfortunately, the fastball location was off on the pitch he threw Goldy today.”

Feliz spent the first month of the season pitching for Triple-A Indianapolis, but after making a handful of low-leverage cameos for the Pirates in May, he returned to the Majors in June and gradually earned Hurdle’s trust. He entered Wednesday’s game with a nine-outing scoreless streak and a 1.80 ERA and a .184 opponents’ average since he was last recalled from Triple-A on June 8.

“Based on stuff and history and everything else, Feliz was the guy we wanted to go to,” Hurdle said. “Didn’t get it done. That’s a decision I made.”

Feliz fired a 2-2 fastball that Goldschmidt launched into the Pirates’ bullpen beyond the left-field fence, turning the Cardinals’ one-run deficit into a two-run lead. After noticing that Goldschmidt was late on a 2-1 fastball over the middle of the plate, catcher Jacob Stallings thought they could go up and in on Goldschmidt.

“We just didn’t get it there,” Stallings said. “It’s tough with a runner on second; I can’t show my target too early. We just didn’t get it in enough or up enough.”