ST. LOUIS -- Nolan Arenado was back at third base and back driving baseballs again, but still the Cardinals fell back in the race for the National League’s No. 3 Wild Card slot because of their fatigued bullpen’s inability to hold a lead.

The Cardinals got an RBI single in the second inning and a seventh-inning double from Arenado in his first MLB game since July 30, and they used a three-run eruption in the sixth inning and a two-run rally in the seventh to knot the score. However, when the Reds responded with one run in the eighth and four in the ninth it led to a frustration-filled 11-6 loss for St. Louis at Busch Stadium.

With co-closers Riley O’Brien and JoJo Romero unavailable after pitching Saturday and Sunday in Milwaukee, the Cardinals were forced to turn the game over to

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