PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Pirates would take any help right about now.

Unfortunately for the Pirates, the Cincinnati Reds weren't in a giving mood Friday.

Jose Peraza delivered a go-ahead sacrifice fly in the ninth inning to lift the Reds to a 4-3 victory over the Pirates at PNC Park.

An inning after allowing a one-run lead to slip away, the Reds regained it by playing small ball in the ninth. Eugenio Suarez began the inning with a single to left off closer Tony Watson (2-5) before Ramon Cabrera bunted him to second.

Tyler Holt singled to right and Suarez was held at third to set up Peraza, who provided the Reds their fourth one-run lead of the game.

"It just shows you that we don't give up," Cincinnati second baseman Brandon Phillips said. "We try to win every game. We're in a lot of games, but we just don't finish. But today, we go to finish and it really shows that we have a heart."

The Reds (58-82) saw their five-game losing streak end and put a dent into the Pirates' wild card hopes. Pittsburgh (69-70), which left the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth inning, lost for the ninth time in 11 games and trails New York and San Francisco by five games in the National League wild-card race.

Raisel Iglesias (3-1) earned the victory after allowing one run and three hits in two innings. Iglesias was uncharacteristically wild in the final two innings, which alarmed Reds manager Bryan Price, but not enough to take away from his pride in how Cincinnati battled.

"What I was really pleased with is we bring in Iglesias there in the eighth and they score a run to tie the game and our guys came right back out against Watson, their closer," Price said. "The base hit by Suarez, the sacrifice bunt, ball through the right side and then the big sac fly by Peraza. They immediately came back."

The Pirates, facing a 3-2 deficit, received a spark in the eighth when Josh Harrison and John Jaso singled to start the inning, putting runners on the corners. Andrew McCutchen hit a sacrifice fly to center, tying the game.

With the scored tied 2-2 two innings earlier, Phillips belted a 2-2 pitch from right-handed reliever Jared Hughes into the left field bleachers to give Cincinnati the lead. It was Phillips' 10th home run of the season and only his second since hitting two against the Pirates on Aug. 6.

Before Phillips came through in the sixth, Reds right-hander Tim Adleman controlled the game with solid work from the mound and plate. Adleman surrendered two runs on seven hits in six innings.

Pirates manager Clint Hurdle credited Adleman while not providing an excuse for Pittsburgh's lack of execution.

"No strikeouts and two walks, that tells me he was hitting his spots," Hurdle said. "We're having problems scoring runs. It's not a secret. I don't think the execution level matches the talent level right now. We need to be better."

In a game with little offensive action early, the Reds built a 2-1 lead off the bat of an unlikely source. Pirates left-hander Steven Brault, who allowed two runs on five hits in five innings, surrendered a hit to Adleman in consecutive innings, helping the Reds score one run in the third and another in the fourth.

After the Reds struggled to generate anything off of Brault through two innings, Adleman opened the third by ripping a sharp double into right-center field before Peraza walked. Zack Cozart laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance the runners, and Joey Votto flipped a single over Pirates shortstop Jordy Mercer and into center field, scoring Adleman and giving Cincinnati a 1-0 lead.

Pittsburgh answered when Harrison doubled down the left-field line to drive in Mercer from second and tie the game 1-1 in the bottom of the third, but Adleman came through again to re-establish the Reds' one-run lead in the fourth.

An inning after Adleman doubled, the Pirates elected to intentionally walk Ramon Cabrera in front of him with two outs and Suarez on second. Adleman singled to right, driving in Suarez and putting the Reds ahead 2-1.

Price laughingly dismissed the idea of Adleman as a pinch-hit candidate moving forward.

"He will," Price said, "in probably the 34th inning of an extra inning game."

That lead wouldn't last either, though. Josh Bell did enough to allow Mercer to score from third on his groundball to first base in the fifth inning, tying the score 2-2. But despite battling back several times, the Pirates didn't produce enough to earn a third consecutive win.

"Not every time when there are guys on base are you going to drive them in," left fielder Gregory Polanco said. "Some days you do, but some days you don't. That's baseball. We just have to stay aggressive, come back tomorrow and do a better job."

NOTES: Reds C Ramon Cabrera replaced Tucker Barnhart behind the plate Friday. Barnhart went 1-for-3 in a 4-1 loss to Pittsburgh on Thursday. Cabrera, who is hitless in his last eight at-bats, last started Sunday. ... Over the last four seasons, Reds' pitchers hit 50 Pittsburgh batters, the most by any major league pitching staff against any opponent. ... The Reds hope to get OF Billy Hamilton (oblique) back this season, but he has yet to begin baseball activities. ... Pirates OF Starling Marte (back spasms) did not start for the fourth consecutive game. Josh Bell remained in right field with Andrew McCutchen in center and Gregory Polanco in left. ... Pirates LHP Steven Brault made his fifth career start. He had gone more than five innings pitched once in his previous four starts, in a 3-1 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on July 29. ... Pirates RHP Gerrit Cole (elbow inflammation) threw 32 pitches in a bullpen session Friday. He is expected to make his first start since Aug. 24 against the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday.