PHOENIX -- Manager Dave Martinez emphasizes that there are 27 outs every game. The path to get three of them in the fourth inning on Friday night proved costly for the Nationals in a 3-1 loss to the D-backs at Chase Field.

“It’s a learning moment,” Martinez said.

The fourth frame began with starter Josiah Gray allowing a ground-ball single into center field by Dominic Fletcher. The next at-bat, Gray was unable to cleanly field a comebacker from Gabriel Moreno.

“The fourth inning, the play back at him, that set the tone for a big inning right there,” Martinez said.

Gray looked to second base, but he did not have the runner and went to first instead. He committed a throwing error, allowing runners to advance to second and third base.

“[Moreno] hit the ball, and I guess I just reacted to catch it, and it just came out of my glove,” said Gray. “So I pounced right on it, and I looked to second just because I thought it was really hard-hit. It would have been a bang-bang play at second, so then I looked to first. Then I just don’t set my feet or whatever it was. I rushed, obviously made a terrible throw there to [first baseman Dominic Smith]. …

“If I could go back, I would take two more seconds to set my feet. But I can’t do that, so [I’ve] just got to learn from it and take two more seconds when that play happens again.”

The error was the first of Gray’s Major League career, dating back to his debut on July 20, 2021.

“It was meaningful,” Gray said of his errorless stretch. “I always strive to go out there and field my position. To have that ‘E’ attached, it stinks, but it’s part of the game. Just got to denote some more time to [pitchers’ fielding practice] and comebackers and just get better that way. … The fourth inning might be a different inning if we get that out off the board and we’re there with one out instead of no outs.”

Gray fanned Alek Thomas, then walked Geraldo Perdomo to load the bases. Josh Rojas sent a high chopper to second base, where shortstop CJ Abrams attempted to beat out a sliding Perdomo rather than throw to first.

Perdomo initially was called out, but that was overturned following a review, with Rojas reaching first on a fielder’s choice. Fletcher scored on the play to give the D-backs a 2-1 lead.

“I think at that point, when you don’t field the ball clean, you just come up and try to get the out at first,” said Martinez. “CJ should have just came through the ball and just got an out. We’re just looking for outs right there to stay out of a big inning.”

With the bases still loaded, the Nats’ deficit grew to two runs when Ketel Marte plated Moreno on a sacrifice fly to left field.

An inning marked by defensive miscues came to an end with a savvy play by Keibert Ruiz. The catcher saw Perdomo attempting to steal third, ran from behind the plate and looped around the mound on the first base side to catch Perdomo in a rundown on the basepaths.

“They’re fast,” Ruiz said. “I don’t want to throw the ball and they can go to the other base.”

Gray credited Ruiz for “[getting] me out of that jam.” Martinez lauded the heads-up maneuver.

“Awesome,” Martinez said. “We had a pick on, [Ruiz] came up, he did the smart thing [to] not throw. He watched both runners, and he ran after the runner perfectly. He did a great job.”

After these bumps in the series opener, the Nationals will return to the field Saturday at 8:10 p.m. ET looking to record those 27 outs more smoothly.