PITTSBURGH — The last time Carlos Rodon took the mound with the Yankees on a hot streak, he threw cold water on it with his worst start of the season.

With a chance to redeem himself on Sunday, the left-hander turned in his best start of his disappointing year, even if the end result was the same.

Rodon worked into the seventh inning for the first time as a Yankee and struck out a season-high 10, though the Yankees wasted his strong outing in a 3-2 loss to the Pirates at PNC Park.

The Yankees (76-74) missed out on a chance to sweep the Pirates (70-80), which they likely needed to do to have any kind of a prayer to sneak into the playoffs.

After a 5-2 road trip, they are now 6 ½ games back of the final AL wild card with 12 games left.

“I never really want to lose, so that’s what kind of puts a bummer on it,” Rodon said after giving up three runs across 6 ²/₃ innings.

A strong finish for Rodon will not undo a rough first season in pinstripes, but the Yankees are hoping it will at least send him into the offseason with some momentum as he tries to rebound next year.

On Sunday, Rodon was burned by the foul lines, which also ended his start on a sour note. With the game tied 2-2 with two outs and a man on second in the seventh inning — after Rodon just missed a called third strike — Jason Delay chopped a ground ball that hit off the third-base bag and ricocheted into foul territory, allowing the Pirates to take the lead.

“I wish the ball didn’t hit the bag,” Rodon said. “I wish I would have got the punchout there and kept the game 2-2. But it’s just part of the game.”

Earlier in the game, ex-Yankee Miguel Andujar chased a high fastball and sliced it off the right-field foul pole for the 2-0 lead.

Otherwise, Rodon was mostly sharp, scattering six hits and walking none. For the second straight start, he kept hitters honest by adding in 14 curveballs and eight changeups to his season-high 103 pitches.

But he had plenty of life on his fastball, highlighted by a three-pitch strikeout of Jack Suwinski to end the sixth inning. After an Anthony Volpe error put runners on the corners with two outs, Rodon threw three fastballs at 99.8 mph, 99.6 mph and 98.6 mph to escape the jam.

“One of those spots where I had to pick up my guy,” Rodon said. “Volpe makes every freakin’ play. … I knew I had to reach back and get some more on the fastball and it worked out.”

“I know I still got it. It was nice to see it finally show up.”

Over his last two outings — since giving up seven runs in 3 ²/₃ innings against the Tigers to snap a five-game winning streak — Rodon has allowed four runs over 11 ²/₃ innings with 19 strikeouts.

“Man, I thought he was really good,” manager Aaron Boone said. “Another really good step and a peek into what he is when he’s going and right.”

The Yankees were held without a hit through the first five innings against opener Colin Selby (two innings) and right-hander Andre Jackson. But Estevan Florial fixed that with a leadoff single in the sixth and then scored from first on DJ LeMahieu’s double down the left-field line.

Volpe later tied the game in the top of the seventh with a solo home run, his 21st of the season. But the Yankees could not finish off another comeback or take advantage of Rodon’s latest encouraging start.

“He just keeps building,” Aaron Judge said. “Getting a chance to see him get a couple good quality starts underneath him and build off it … I’m looking forward to the next one.”