PHOENIX -- Before Tuesday's game against the Blue Jays, D-backs manager Chip Hale was complimentary of the last outing he saw from starter Zack Godley, which was for Triple-A Reno last Thursday.
Godley was keeping the ball low in the strike zone and avoided elevating pitches. But back in the Majors for Tuesday's 5-1 loss, the right-hander couldn't do that in a key situation.
Toronto slugger Edwin Encarnacion capitalized on a curveball that Godley left up in the zone in the third inning, sending it into the left-field seats for a pivotal three-run blast that put the Jays in control.
"He elevated those curveballs, and to this team, you can't do that," Hale said. "We talked about keeping them in the ballpark and giving yourself a chance to win a game. It's not going to happen when you elevate the breaking ball. Just too many high breaking balls."
Godley has had an up-and-down season -- literally. He started in Double-A Mobile for eight outings before moving up to Reno for three starts. Since then, he has been promoted to the Majors on three separate occasions.
The 26-year-old started for the D-backs on June 11 -- then moved to the bullpen for four appearances before being sent back down to Triple-A. He started again when he was recalled on July 5 -- but it was a spot start and he immediately went back down to Reno.
This was Godley's third start for Arizona this season, and he'll stick around for at least one more outing. However, Godley will be hoping for better results than those he had against a tough Toronto lineup.
"Not great. I made a couple of bad pitches that they made me pay for," said Godley, who gave up six hits, fanned seven and walked one over seven innings. "They're good hitters through and through. From one to nine, they're good hitters and they took advantage."
Godley retired the first two batters he faced in the third before allowing consecutive singles to Devon Travis and Josh Donaldson. Encarnacion then put Toronto ahead, 3-1, with his 25th homer.
The only other run the Blue Jays scored against Godley came because of a mistake by the right-hander. Travis led off the fifth with a single, moved to third on an errant pick-off attempt by Godley and then scored on a single by Donaldson.
Reliever Dom Leone also made a throwing error on a pickoff attempt in the ninth, allowing another Toronto run. Those are mistakes that Hale said shouldn't be happening in mid-July.
"Their feet just aren't getting around," Hale said. "They're not getting that foot down before they release the ball, just pulling it. It's just unacceptable at this point in the year. That's part of your game you have to be able to execute."