Diamondbacks catcher Jeff Mathis understands how things might have looked from the outside on Tuesday night – and how things have looked for the better part of the past month. He can see why some might conclude that the Diamondbacks have packed it in. He just doesn’t believe the perception is the reality.

“It doesn’t look good,” he said. “But I can firmly tell you from the way I feel that’s not the case. There’s nobody in here that’s rolled over. That’s not the way we go about it.”

The Diamondbacks were pancaked on Tuesday night by the Chicago Cubs, losing 9-1 in a game that at no point felt competitive. Right-hander Matt Andriese, on a limited pitch count to begin with, threw poorly in two innings. The offense was nonexistent. The defense committed key mistakes. In short, it was a performance much like many of the previous 25.

BOX SCORE:  Cubs 9, Diamondbacks 1

In that stretch, the Diamondbacks have gone 7-18. They have seen a lead in the National League West, not to mention what had been a promising season, go up in flames. And they have no way to explain it.

They do not believe they have quit. They do not think they are pressing. They do not think they are inferior to the competition. They just think they’re playing really, really bad baseball at the worst possible time.

“That’s really all it boils down to,” Mathis said.

With a runner on third and one out, Andriese threw two quick strikes to the Cubs’ Anthony Rizzo. Little did he know he still had 15 more pitches to go before he’d finally retire the Cubs’ first baseman, who fouled off 12 pitches during the 17-pitch at-bat.

Finally, Rizzo scorched a liner up the middle that shortstop Nick Ahmed gloved with a diving catch. That was only the second out of the game, and to record it, Andriese needed four fastballs, four sliders, seven curveballs and two change-ups.

“That Rizzo at-bat really made me work hard,” Andriese said. “It put me behind the 8-ball there. … I think I got worn down after that.”

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Diamondbacks starter Matt Andriese talks about his two innings pitched and how a 17-pitch at-bat against Anthony Rizzo upped his pitch count Tuesday.
Katherine Fitzgerald, The Republic | azcentral.com

Three pitches later, Andriese made a mistake with a slider that Javier Baez blasted out for a two-run homer, putting Cubs in front 2-0. Things didn’t get much better for Andriese in the second, when he allowed doubles to Jason Heyward and Ian Happ before Daniel Murphy blasted another two-run homer to make it a 5-0 game.

For Andriese, who had worked entirely in relief since joining the Diamondbacks in July, his first start with the Diamondbacks did not go the way he envisioned. He said he was approaching the outing as an opportunity to show he deserved a chance to be a part of next year’s rotation.

“Obviously, I haven’t had the success I would have liked,” said Andriese, who has allowed 18 runs in 18 innings since coming over from the Tampa Bay Rays. “I’m out there battling and grinding.”

Meanwhile, the Diamondbacks’ hitters had another uneventful night, compiling a total of five baserunners (four hits, one walk), with the only run coming on Ketel Marte’s solo shot in the second.

“I don’t even know really where to start tonight,” manager Torey Lovullo said at the beginning of his postgame media session. “Another tough night. These guys are walking through a firestorm right now. They just got to keep plowing away.”

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Torey Lovullo talks after the Diamondbacks dropped their fourth game in a row, 9-1 to the Cubs at Chase Field on Tuesday.
Katherine Fitzgerald, The Republic | azcentral.com

The Diamondbacks dropped yet another game in the division and wild-card races as they inch closer to elimination. They’re six out in the division behind the Dodgers, six out of the wild card behind the St. Louis Cardinals, and they have an elimination number of five in each race.

“There ain’t nobody going to give up in this room,” Mathis said. “It’s not a part of what’s in this room. It’s tough. It’s tough going through what we’re going through right now and like I said, just gotta put it behind you. …

“We understand the fight that we’ve got. We understand what’s in front of us. Like I said, nobody in this room is shutting down and we’re just trying our best to put it behind us and keep grinding.”

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Reach Piecoro at (602) 444-8680 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @nickpiecoro.