LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers have asked a lot from their bullpen over the past week, and they’ll continue to do so with a shorthanded starting rotation. But Los Angeles’ defense will need to limit its mistakes for it to be successful.

Part of the difference on the scoreboard Friday night was rooted in two fielding errors by the Dodgers in their 5-2 loss to the D-backs at Dodger Stadium, their first defeat of the season to their National League West foe.

• Box score

Los Angeles’ third bullpen game of the week was mostly another promising performance from a group that accounted for 37 1/3 innings in the team’s recent eight-game road trip. Among the five runs the ‘pen allowed, two were unearned due to a pair of errors committed in the infield.

The Dodgers have committed an error in six consecutive games, as well as 13 over their past eight contests.

“When you're not scoring runs consistently, things certainly get more magnified,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “It's hard to pitch [perfectly,] and we've got to be good on defense. When you're not scoring runs, you've got to make sure those things are airtight, and tonight it wasn't.”

After left-hander David Price started with three scoreless innings, the Dodgers took the lead in the third on AJ Pollock's 10th homer of the season. At that point, Los Angeles brought in left-hander Darien Nunez, who was called up Thursday as the team continues to shuffle arms to relieve its taxed bullpen.

Nunez made his MLB debut, tossing a 1-2-3 inning in the fourth. But third baseman Justin Turner made an error to open the fifth. D-backs leadoff hitter Nick Ahmed ended up at second base on a bouncing ground ball that hopped underneath Turner's glove and went into left field. Ahmed then stole third and scored on Eduardo Escobar's 335-foot homer that just narrowly landed in the first row of seats in right field, giving Arizona a 2-0 lead.

Although Nunez couldn't preserve the lead, Roberts was pleased with the rookie’s ability to bounce back and retire the next two batters to end the fifth.

“I thought it was a very good debut for him. I really did,” Roberts said. “I thought he threw the baseball well. He gave up a homer on a ball that was at the top of the zone. So, for him to go out there and give us two innings, it's good.”

The Dodgers' second error again benefited Escobar. With one out in the seventh, Escobar reached base as first baseman Max Muncy couldn't place his glove close enough to a liner that drifted away from him, allowing it to skip into right. Two batters later, the D-backs pushed their lead to 3-1 on a David Peralta RBI single.

“He was a little befuddled how he didn't come up with it. He thought he stayed down,” Roberts said. “He's a Gold Glove first baseman, he's going to win the Gold Glove this year and he just didn't make the play.”

Los Angeles got a run back in the bottom of the inning, as Mookie Betts plated Pollock on a groundout. But in the ninth, Arizona loaded the bases for the third time of the night with right-hander Edwin Uceta on the mound, and it scored a pair of runs on walks by Daulton Varsho and Josh Reddick.

A bright spot for the Dodgers, however, was Price's performance at the start. He worked around four hits and a walk, striking out three and throwing 51 pitches (32 strikes). His velocity was up from his season average, particularly on his changeup.

“I felt good [throughout] my entire outing. That's always good. I feel like the games that I've started or opened this year, my [velocity] has been a little bit higher,” Price said. “That's just being able to get in the weight room before, get stretched by [assistant strength and conditioning coach] Travis [Smith].

“I'm doing my stuff in the training room, and then going straight out to throw. That's what I've always done. My body feels really good whenever I start.”