PHOENIX -- The D-backs had good approaches at the plate. They ran the bases aggressively. They came through with hits when they were needed.

Unfortunately, they only did that in the final two innings of Tuesday night’s game against the Dodgers while the other seven innings were more like the way they’ve been playing for the better part of a month.

Following their 5-4 loss, their seventh in a row, manager Torey Lovullo noted the difference between those final two innings and everything that came before it.

“We closed up the gap there in the eighth and the ninth innings and there was a certain energy inside of our dugout, a certain focus,” Lovullo said. “And, you know, I'm looking for that for nine innings. That's what my expectation is. Maybe we were just a little dry and stagnant and maybe hungover from worrying and all the little things that go with the streak that we're on right now, but we're not good enough to play two of nine [innings].

“We’ve got to play nine of nine and lock it in. And when we do, we can close gaps up like we did there in the last two innings. Hopefully that pushes us into a better energy all day tomorrow.”

The Dodgers built a 4-0 lead, scoring a run in the second and three more in the fifth off Brandon Pfaadt. Meanwhile, the D-backs' offense struggled to solve Julio Urías, who held them scoreless on four hits through six innings.

Lovullo was asked what he thought the issue was for his team over those first seven innings as opposed to the final two.

“I think we were just satisfied with what was happening,” Lovullo said. “Just didn't play our game. Just kind of rolling with what was happening, and that's not us. We play with intensity and energy with a certain swagger. I haven't seen that in a while. And I saw it in the last two innings.”

The loss dropped the D-backs to 57-57 on the season, a far cry from where they were on July 1, when they sat 16 games above .500 and were atop the NL West by three games. Now, they trail the Dodgers by 10 games and they are two games back of the Reds and Cubs, who are tied for the third and final NL Wild Card spot.

The D-backs did make things interesting in the ninth, however, against Dodgers closer Evan Phillips. Geraldo Perdomo drew a one-out walk, pinch-hitter Alek Thomas tripled him home and then Thomas scored on Ketel Marte’s single.

That brought Corbin Carroll to the plate, the D-backs’ best player, with a chance to tie the game with an extra-base hit or win it with a homer.

After falling behind 1-2, Carroll connected on a sweeper down and in and chopped it toward Freddie Freeman at first. Carroll thought the ball was foul and did not immediately run out of the box and Freeman quickly turned a 3-6-3 double play to end the game.

“I mean, there's no excuse for it,” Carroll said. “I got to run out of the box, but taking you through my mindset, I thought the initial bounce was foul, and that's kind of what I saw there.”