Prior to Monday’s series opener against the San Diego Padres at Chase Field, Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo talked at length about wanting to see his hitters be more patient at the plate.

Lovullo seemed to suggest that, given the offensive funk in which the Diamondbacks have found themselves, some hitters have been practicing bad habits at the dish and swinging at the wrong pitches.

Whatever the case may be, the Diamondbacks seem to be losing even more patience when it comes to their run-scoring woes.

BOX SCORE:  Padres 6, Diamondbacks 2

For the 10th time in their past 11 games, Diamondbacks hitters were held to fewer than three runs. They have lost eight of those games, including their fourth in a row by way of a 6-2 decision on Monday.

“Four games is obviously not ideal,” catcher Alex Avila said of the losing streak. “We’ll be in the same situation we’re in tomorrow so it’s just a matter of going out and getting a W.”

After right-hander Zack Godley tossed an eight-pitch first inning, the Diamondbacks scored the game’s first run in the bottom of the frame when outfielder Steven Souza Jr. hit an RBI single to score third baseman Eduardo Escobar.

But Godley came back out for the second and walked the first two men he faced before allowing a first-pitch, three-run home run to Padres outfielder Franmil Reyes, who also homered in the fourth.

“I lost my focus there for the first three hitters of the second inning,” Godley said after the game. “They made me pay for it. Reyes put two really good swings on two pitches and that was the difference for me.”

All things considered, Godley pieced together a competent outing. He lasted five innings and allowed just two hits (the two Reyes homers) and four earned runs. He struck out seven hitters, which gives him 10 consecutive games with at least six strikeouts recorded.

“After a pretty good first inning where we scored a run, I thought things were going in our direction,” Lovullo said. “Unfortunately, they just jumped us with the three-run home run and then followed it up with another solo home run. It just seemed like we couldn’t overcome the deficit.

“If you’re talking about solo home runs, it’s a different story. But when you put runners on base, it can impact the game and that’s obviously what happened there.”

But it was the offense that continued to be absent for the Diamondbacks on Monday as Padres left-hander Bryan Mitchell stymied them over five innings. The Diamondbacks are averaging just 2.3 runs per game since their last series victory over the Los Angeles Angels from Aug. 21-22.

Arizona had a chance to make some noise in the eighth inning, but second baseman Daniel Descalso lined out to Padres first baseman Eric Hosmer with two men on base to end the inning.

“If you’re going to talk about different things and certain dynamics within the game,” Lovullo said. “That’s certainly a spot right there where, if you get that ball by Hosmer, it’s first and third with two outs and you’ve got the tying run coming to home plate.

“That’s a totally different part to that inning, but it just didn’t happen.”

Any sort of big, run-scoring inning has eluded the Diamondbacks in recent weeks. For Lovullo, at least a part of it can be attributed to a lack of patience.

“I keep talking about being patient and remembering that certain pitches are meant to be hit and certain pitches aren’t,” Lovullo said. “We have to apply basic concepts of going up there and being ourselves. This is a group of guys that have done it before and they’re done it this year at times although it hasn’t been as consistent as we’ve seen it.”

After play closed on Monday, the Diamondbacks remained in third place in the NL West standings. They are now two games behind the Colorado Rockies and one game behind the Los Angeles Dodgers.

And while the Diamondbacks still have seven more games against the Rockies this season and three more against the Dodgers, they’re just hoping they can stay in the mix long enough to make those games meaningful.

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Richard Morin covers the Coyotes and Diamondbacks for azcentral sports. He can be reached at [email protected] and by phone at 480-316-2493. Follow him on Twitter @ramorin_azc