PHOENIX -- There was good and bad in the D-backs' 9-6 loss to the Cardinals on Friday night at Chase Field.

Arizona is now 6-8 on the year, including a 5-2 record against the Rockies and a combined 1-6 mark against the Yankees, Braves, and Cardinals.

Here’s a look at the highlights and the lowlights:

The bad: Arizona starter Brandon Pfaadt gave up six runs in the first three innings

It was not a good beginning for Pfaadt, as he allowed a three-run homer to Nolan Arenado in the first, a single run in the second and two more in the third on Lars Nootbaar’s homer.

“I think early on just wasn’t locating, especially to Nootbaar,” Pfaadt said. “I missed on the other side of the plate, and I take responsibility for that. That shouldn’t happen.”

Not every ball the Cardinals put in play over that time was necessarily hard hit and a pitch or two may have been missed by the home plate umpire, but Pfaadt didn’t have any of that.

“I think I could have pitched better,” he said. “I don't want to be that guy to say there's bad luck. I think I should’ve executed more pitches and certainly not have even gotten to that situation in the first place.”

The good: Pfaadt settled in and managed to give the D-backs six innings

Once he fell behind, Pfaadt worked to put his frustration aside and focus on one thing: going as deep in the game as he could.

“We're down six runs, and it was only the third,” Pfaadt said. “So my mindset kind of flips and I just try to eat innings at that point. That sets us up good for tomorrow, bullpen-wise. You know, we're trying to limit damage, so when we give up damage, I think going deeper into games is the next helpful thing.”

The mental toughness it takes to do that was one of the things the D-backs loved about Pfaadt as he made his way up the Minor Leagues before making his big league debut last season.

“I was really proud of the way Brandon fought the whole game,” D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said. “It wasn't easy. And he pitched into the sixth inning and got through it and that was a pretty good feat on his part.”

The good: A comeback to tie the game

As Pfaadt settled into damage control mode, the D-backs offense was still struggling to do damage against St. Louis starter Steven Matz, who held them scoreless through four.

In the fifth, though, Matz blinked as he committed a one-out error that allowed Blaze Alexander to reach first.

The D-backs made that error hurt, sending nine men to the plate in the inning and scoring six runs, five of which were unearned. The big blow came when Eugenio Suárez hit a two-out, three-run homer.

“I’m proud of the way we fought back,” Lovullo said. “You get down 6-0 you’re always looking for a response, and the team did a good job and just kept chipping away. Look, we fought, we did everything we could to win this game, got back in it and we just have to turn the page.”

The bad: The bullpen struggles continue

The Arizona bullpen has had a rough start to this season. Last weekend, when the D-backs were swept in three games in Atlanta, the bullpen gave up a pair of leads. On Friday, after the D-backs fought back to tie the game, the 'pen gave up a run in the seventh and two more in the eighth.

“Good and bad moments, inconsistent,” Lovullo said of his bullpen over the last week. “When it works, it lines up and we get big outs and we can stay in games and win baseball games. And when it doesn’t, you can see what happens. Those types of game, the chance to win evaporates and leads get stretched. We believe in the pieces we have down there. We just have to get them on a roll and get them in rhythm.”