PHOENIX -- The Diamondbacks will accept the positives from defeats, as difficult as that can be at times. The game is too difficult not to do so.
But sometimes turning the page can become tedious.
Mark Trumbo could not have been more clear after the Diamondbacks lost their fourth straight, 5-4, to Colorado on Monday.
"It's time to win ball games," Trumbo said. "You don't want to say that (turn the page) too often. You can do it. You don't want to fall into those ruts. There might be a bigger picture plan or whatever, but we are the ones fighting and it feels much better to go out there to win.
"You need to be able to have a short-term memory, short enough to forget the bad stuff but also fire you up when needed. After four straight losses, it is time for us to come out with some passion tomorrow and get back on the right track."
The D-backs offense showed signs after stalling over the weekend, when they had only two runs and 18 hits against Pittsburgh. After spotting Colorado a 4-0 lead, the D-backs recovered to put the tying run on third base with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning.
Ender Inciarte and Paul Goldschmidt singled in the inning before Trumbo grounded out to third to end the game. Trumbo's two doubles were their only extra-base hits, and the D-backs were 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position.
Manager Chip Hale said he liked what he saw in the comeback attempt, even as the D-backs dropped to 8-11, three games under .500 for the first time this season.
"That's the way it's been going," Hale said. "We have not been swinging the bat well, period, and especially with me in scoring position. We got down early and we battled back. The guys kept playing. I was proud of them.
"We say if you can bring the tying run to the plate in a game like that, you are going good. We had the tying run at third base. We felt pretty good about that. But it's not horse shoes or hand grenades, is it. It doesn't count to get close."
After an 8-22 start last season, the D-backs wanted to start quickly this year. Hale believes his team has the clubhouse character to come through this sort of stretch.
"They care about each other, and I think that will be a strength for us to forget about today and move onto tomorrow," Hale said. "It's not easy. We're going to have to do it time and time again, good and bad."
The D-backs got off on the wrong foot when Chase Anderson gave up a three-run home run to Justin Morneau four batters into the game. The homer was set up when Troy Tulowitzki coaxed a 13-pitch walk after Corey Dickerson singled with one out. Tulowitzki took two balls and two strikes and then fouled off seven of the next eight pitches before taking ball four outside. Morneau hit a 0-1 pitch into the right-field stands.
"Walked him, and I would say composure got to me a little bit," Anderson said. "I got out of what I do best and gave up those runs. That's not me, really."
"You saw the battle by 'Tulo,'" Hale said. "It was excellent by him. I'm sure it had something to do with (Morneau's homer). It is tough to refocus and come back, but that's what we demand of these guys and he'll do it. He'll get better at it."
With another 1-2-3 inning, all on ground balls, Brad Ziegler has retired the last 25 batters he has tried to get out. The only base runner against him in his last seven outings was when he intentionally walked Pirates shortstop Jordy Mercer with two outs and a runner on second Friday.
2 -- double plays induced by Evan Marshall's hard sinker, one in each of the innings he pitched Monday.
* Yasmany Tomas used his savvy to score from third with one out in the sixth inning. Tuffy Gosewisch grounded to third, and after Colorado's Nolan Arenado threw to first, Tomas broke for the plate and just beat the throw home with a hook slide to the back half of the plate. "Incredible slide," Hale said. "You just trust their instincts. He got a good read on it, had some momentum and went on it. He was pushing the envelope."
* Nick Ahmed singled and scored in the D-backs' two-run rally in the fifth, lining a pitch up the middle. The D-backs are working with Ahmed through a slow start that has him hitting .135 "We are talking with him about some things we need him to do to be a better major league hitter," Hale said. "We talked about it in spring training and he did it. He's getting as little bit away from it right now. But I think the main thing is pitch selection. We have to be patient with him. He knows he's our guy. we have to let him work it out."
* Patrick Corbin and David Hernandez will continue their rehab work Tuesday, Corbin in a two-inning simulated game at Chase Field and Hernandez in an extended spring training game at Salt River Fields.
A.J. Pollock's speed got the D-backs a run in the fifth, when he beat out an infield single after a nice stop and throw behind second base by Rockies second baseman DJ LeMahieu. Pollock was ruled safe, and the play was so close that it took the review officials one minute, 59 seconds to uphold the original call. Pollock has a seven-game hitting streak and eight RBI.
Rockies: RHP Kyle Kendrick, who will start against Arizona on Tuesday, is 1-2 with a 5.36 ERA in nine career appearances against the Diamondbacks.
Diamondbacks: Rookie RHP Archie Bradley will make his fourth start of the season against Colorado after facing opening day starters his first three outings: the Dodgers Clayton Kershaw, San Francisco's Madison Bumgarner and Texas' Yovani Gallardo.
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