DENVER – The San Diego Padres entered the Mile High City on Friday looking to regain their composure coming off being swept earlier in week, but instead dug themselves deeper in a hole after getting shutout 3-0 to the Rockies. 

This has to be bothersome for the Padres, who are battling for the top spot in the NL West but now extend their losing streak to five games. And with 21 games left on the schedule, the frustration has been settling in the clubhouse. 

Things could be worse though for the Friars. They are still only two games back behind the Dodgers, who are currently enduring a four game slump of their own. 

Similarly, both teams are struggling against teams that they are better than. The Padres are coming off being swept at home by the Orioles, while the Pirates outlasted the Dodgers at PNC Park, chalking a sweep.

The Padres needed a win tonight. They need to get back to the impressive outings they were stringing together during the month of August, and starting a series against a team with 101 losses looked almost guaranteed.

Friday presented a different reality for the Brown and Gold. They flopped against left-hander Kyle Freeland, who possessed a 3-14 record with a 5.12 ERA before tonight’s game. 

Freeland was dominant on the mound, putting up eight scoreless innings and only gave up two hits, no walks and struck out 10 batters. 

The Padres most efficient opportunities offensively came in the fifth inning when Ramón Laureano doubled  but was left stranded, and in the ninth inning when Luis Arraez drew a six pitch walk followed by a Fernando Tatis Jr. single. The game ended two batters later on a Manny Machado 5-3 double-play. 

Starting pitching was solid with right-hander Nick Pivetta. He finished the night going six innings and allowed a pair of earned runs, seven hits, two walks and five strikeouts on 99 pitches. 

Pivetta, who has been the Padres most reliable arm in the rotation all year, could not be backed up. If the Padres can’t provide any run support for their ace at this point during the year, how can you expect them to do so in the postseason?    

For a team that has big aspirations heading into October, these last three series have shown the Padres still have big concerns despite the roster additions they made at the trade deadline. 

In August, they showed their peak, they showed how lethal and dependable they can be when at their best offensively.

In fairness, injuries have played a part during their setback. However, that doesn’t give this team an excuse for their poor showings, and it certainly doesn’t help that their current issues are the same ones they’ve been dealing with during the first three and half months of the season. 

With their remaining strength of schedule, there is still a great chance that they can turn things around and steal the NL West away from Los Angeles. They have to finish out this series strong against the Rockies while the Dodgers continue to battle through their own adversity. Â