​The Colorado Rockies’ offensive struggles continued on Saturday night as they were shut out for the second consecutive game, falling 2-0 to the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. This loss extends the Rockies’ scoreless streak to 18 innings in the series.​

Padres’ starter Kyle Hart delivered a dominant performance, pitching six scoreless innings while allowing only one hit and striking out four. His effort was a significant improvement from his previous outing and set the tone for the game as the Padres’ bullpen maintained the shutout, with Robert Suarez securing his seventh save of the season by closing out the ninth inning. ​

Offensively, the Padres were powered by solo home runs from Fernando Tatis Jr. and Jason Heyward, providing the only runs of the game. Tatis’ homer in the first inning marked his fourth of the season. ​

For the Rockies, rookie pitcher Chase Dollander showed promise in his second MLB start, allowing two runs over 5⅔ innings. He surrendered the leadoff homer to Tatis and then Heyward in the fifth, but the only other hit came via Luis Arraez in the sixth. Following the single by Arraez, Dollander induced a softly hit groundball to retire Manny Machado. A throwing error by Dollander on a pick-off to second moved the runner up to third before he issued a walk to Gavin Sheets, ending his night after 93 pitches.

Reliever Jimmy Herget came in and threw two pitches to Xander Bogaerts before Sheets took off for second base. The Rockies threw down to second on the first-and-third play and managed to catch Arraez in between home and third to end the inning. Herget pitched a clear seventh before Tyler Kinley threw a clean eighth. It was the first game of the season that the Rockies bullpen did not allow a run.

The Rockies’ offense managed just four hits in the game with Kyle Farmer responsible for two of them and Nick Martini delivered a pinch-hit single in the eighth. The Rockies got something going in the ninth after Zac Veen snagged an infield single and Farmer had his second hit of the night. With the tying runs aboard, Ryan McMahon struck out swinging leaving things to Kris Bryant. Bryant swung at the first pitch and just missed a home run, sending a sharp liner to right field that could have tied the game, but a phenomenal catch by Tatis ended the game. This offensive drought follows Friday night’s 8-0 loss, where the Rockies were limited to three hits and struck out 15 times. ​On Saturday they struck out nine times with just one walk.

The Padres have remained hot at home and have recorded five shutouts in their first 15 games, just the third team all-time to accomplish such a feat.

The Rockies will look to avoid a series sweep in the finale on Sunday afternoon. Given their recent offensive struggles, the team will need a significant turnaround to compete against the surging Padres. They will send Kyle Freeland to the mound to face off against Michael King.