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The Colorado Rockies will wind up a six-game homestand when they host the San Diego Padres on Sunday in Denver, and they want to hit the road with some momentum.

And to forget Saturday night’s 21-0 loss to the Padres, their eighth in a row.

There have not been many chances for momentum for Colorado, which is 6-33 and mired in a season-long malaise. With their loss on Saturday, the Rockies tied the 1988 Baltimore Orioles for the worst 39-game start in the past 130 years.

The Rockies’ losing streak is their longest of the season, and they will try to avoid a ninth in a row when they send German Marquez (0-6, 9.90 ERA) to the mound against San Diego’s Nick Pivetta (5-1, 2.01) in a pairing of right-handers.

Colorado has just one winning streak this season, which lasted two games, but hasn’t lost its fight.

“The guys who had tough games wear it,” Black said. “(Starter) Bradley (Blalock) feels horrible. (Reliever) Juan (Mejia) feels horrible.”

The two pitchers gave up 19 runs (16 earned) in the first five innings.

“Those guys feel it and it’s on their shoulders, so when it doesn’t happen, there is a great deal of frustration,” said Black. “But for guys who have been in the game a long time you are conditioned for a game like this. They happen across baseball periodically. … They are hard and you move past them the next day.”

The numbers on the homestand for the Rockies are gruesome, even by hitter-friendly Coors Field standards. They have surrendered 63 runs in five games to the Detroit Tigers and Padres and scored 18. On the season, they have allowed 258 runs, most in the majors, and scored fewer than half as many runs — 124.

The team ERA is an MLB-worst 5.89, and the starting staff has combined for three wins.

Marquez hopes to make it four wins Sunday, and get his first of the season.

He has found success against San Diego in his career. In 19 games — 17 starts — he is 10-4 with a 4.62 ERA.

The Padres might be tired from running the bases on Saturday night. They smacked five homers and set a season high in runs and hits (24) for the second straight game. Eight San Diego players had multi-hit games.

If they can come close to Saturday night’s fireworks in the getaway game, Pivetta should have no problem getting by Colorado, a team he has struggled against in his career. Pivetta has appeared in six games (five starts) – and is 1-5 with a 10.72 ERA.

He has not fared well at Coors Field, where he has lost all three of his starts while posting an 18.90 ERA. He has allowed 22 runs — all but one earned — in 10 innings in Denver.

Pivetta can set matching the Saturday pitching performance of Padres starter Stephen Kolek as a goal as San Diego tries to sweep the Rockies for the second time this season.

In just his second major league start, Kolek pitched the rare complete-game shutout, with manager Mike Shildt allowing him to finish what he started. Kolek threw 104 pitches, struck out seven and gave up five hits, never letting up despite the enormous lead.

“Shildty always talks about keeping your edge,” Kolek said. “To me it was just stay on the attack and don’t give anything away.”

–Field Level Media