Sixteen games remain for the Reds, and they are 3 1/2 games out from a postseason berth. While a late surge to reach October baseball is not out of reach, games like Thursday night's 8-5 loss to the Cubs only make that task taller and the defeat itself more painful.

• Box score

Cincinnati took a 3-0 lead after two innings but was unable to take the game and thus, put away the three-game series from first-place Chicago. The Reds haven't won a series since Aug. 7-9 at Milwaukee. They had opportunities to take three of their last four series but lost each of the getaway games.

"As veterans, the only thing we can do is just continue to make everybody else focus on now, doing all the little things right and what has happened, has happened," said Reds right fielder Nick Castellanos, who hit an RBI triple in the first inning. "It can't deter you away from now and what we have to do now. I think that's pretty much what we all try to do as best we can."

With a 19-25 record that has them at a season-worst six games under .500, the Reds have lost three of their last four games and seven of their last 11.

Following a 75-minute rain delay of the first pitch, Reds starter Sonny Gray seemed to have command of the Cubs -- initially.

In an odd feat, Chicago scored five runs in the bottom of the fourth inning and sent nine men to the plate while hitting only one ball out of the infield. That was Nico Hoerner's two-run double to left field against Gray.

The crushing blow was a two-run infield hit by Ian Happ to the right side for the go-ahead run. In the inning, not one ball left the bat 100 mph or over, according to Statcast. Playing the shift in short right field, shortstop José Garcia slid to stop the ball and threw a bouncer to first base from his bottom. David Bote had already scored and Hoerner was waved around and scored ahead of first baseman Joey Votto's throw.

"We played it great, they just kind of beat us on that play. That was the inning of the game, right?" Gray said. "We came out the aggressors and we jumped them. We had all the momentum. Then the fourth inning kind of unraveled, on me particularly. After that, we were just kind of playing catch-up."

In the inning, not one ball left a Cubs bat at 100 mph or higher, according to Statcast.

"That just seems the way [stuff] is going," Castellanos said. "I can't tell you how many times our players have laced a ball to the outfield [for an out] and we're just in there like, 'damn, man, great swing, stay right there.' A lot of times in baseball there's no rhyme or reason, but, I think throughout this series and the series before, there's a lot of hard contact that we've made and had nothing to show for it. It's just unfortunate, and to look for answers in this game can drive you nuts."

Gray was done with 84 pitches over 3 1/3 innings while allowing five earned runs, six hits, three walks and four strikeouts.

"Really not hard-hit balls, so the stuff was there," Reds manager David Bell said. "Just got to a point where he threw too many pitches, had to work a little bit too hard."

The upcoming schedule of five remaining series is not favorable for the Reds, who head to St. Louis overnight for three games beginning on Friday night. They lost the previous two series to the Cardinals and are 3-5-3 over the past 11 head-to-head series.

After that, it's the Pirates (four games), White Sox (three games), Brewers (three games) and Twins (three games). The White Sox have the third-best record in the American League and are barely holding off Minnesota by a half-game.

During an aggressive offseason, the Reds spent big on free agents -- including Castellanos -- to make a playoff push after six-straight losing seasons. But the offense is batting an MLB-worst .210 this season as much of the lineup has faltered.

"All the ingredients are there, all of them. Now it's just kind of getting all those ingredients to work together and just to come out and get it done," Castellanos said. "I'll tell you what, with this team, if our chain catches, it's going to be scary.

"Usually, in a 162-game season, we'd be right where we wanted to be, we'd be like, 'damn, no one's really gotten hot and we're only three games back in this thing.' But obviously now with this shortened schedule, there's more of a sense of urgency, and the only thing we can do is to continue to come out and leave it all on the field each and every day."

Three Reds injured
Compounding the loss to Chicago were three Reds players who had to leave because of injuries.

Second baseman Mike Moustakas was hit on the left foot by a pitch in the fourth inning and was replaced by Freddy Galvis in the fifth.

"It just kept swelling and getting worse," Bell said. "We’ll have to wait and see how he is [Friday]."

Designated hitter Jesse Winker was removed for pinch-hitter Curt Casali in the seventh inning because of back tightness.

Pitching in the sixth, Tyler Thornburg had the bases loaded with two outs when he left the game with a right elbow injury.