SAN DIEGO -- Just as the Rockies’ rotation is giving hints of stabilizing, the offense has gone quiet.

Right-hander Jeff Hoffman gave the Rockies their second solid outing of a weekend series against the Padres on Saturday night, but he had no margin for error as Colorado was shut out, 3-0, at Petco Park.

Like Tim Melville in the series opener Friday, Hoffman pitched well while delivering 5 2/3 innings. He allowed three runs, all coming on opposite-field home runs by right-handed batters Wil Myers (solo in the fifth inning) and Manny Machado (two runs in the sixth).

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Matching Melville, Hoffman struck out eight in his 5 2/3 innings, a season high. Hoffman walked two and allowed five hits. That’s not an outing that would crack a Justin Verlander highlight reel, but it was enough to lower Hoffman’s ERA from 7.35 to 7.06.

Progress.

“He did a nice job,” manager Bud Black said. “The breaking ball came into play. The fastball had some life to it. He was pitching 91-94 [mph] -- that’s a nice range for Jeff, if he locates the ball. And it seemed to be located tonight. It was a good effort; it really was.

“I thought he pitched with a nice pace, a nice tempo. There was some aggressiveness to it. He did his job. He kept us in the game, for sure.”

Hoffman said he missed his target on both home runs. A fastball away against Myers caught too much plate, and Machado powered out a fastball away that was a bit higher than intended. As a whole, Hoffman was encouraged by the outing.

“All three pitches were in the zone,” he said. “We were able to get back in some counts with changes and curveballs. When that happens, you try to keep them on their heels and not really allow them to know what’s coming.”

Hoffman, a 2014 Blue Jays first-round Draft pick who came to the Rockies in the Troy Tulowitzki trade the following season, still carries the double-edged “potential” tag. But he was on the Colorado-Albuquerque shuttle all season while seeking consistency.

His outing Saturday was a step in the right direction since he paired it with a solid outing in his first game after he got a September callup. Hoffman held the Pirates to two runs in five innings last Sunday.

“From here, I think you just continue to refine and continue to try to get ahead of batters, keep them on their heels,” he said.

There was no progress from the bats, however. The Rockies didn’t get a baserunner until the fourth inning and managed only three hits. Padres starter Joey Lucchesi tossed six scoreless innings.

“He’s funky,” Black said of Lucchesi. “... For whatever reason, we don’t pick up the ball great against him. Today, fastballs early in the game. Then he started mixing in his secondary pitches.

“We just couldn’t get anything going. … He’s a little different style. It’s not great velocity, but there’s deception and he’s got the change and curve that are a little bit funky, little bit deceptive. It really screws up hitters’ timing. It was one of those games where we didn’t really swing the bats great.”

Added Rockies catcher Tony Wolters: “[Lucchesi] did a really good job with the sinker-slider combos. He was mixing it, and he was making some paint pitches, some really good pitches.”

The Rockies were shut out for the sixth time this season and have averaged only 2.25 runs a game over the past four games. Still, with a victory in the series finale Sunday, the Rockies can claim their first series victory since they swept the Marlins from Aug. 16-18.

“We’ll try to grind out some at-bats and get them tomorrow,” Wolters said.

Harvey makes Rockies debut

Right-hander Joe Harvey, a September callup who was acquired from the Yankees on July 31, pitched a scoreless eighth inning in his first Rockies appearance, throwing primarily 94-96 mph fastballs.

“Good arm,” Black said. “I liked the fastball. I liked the intent with the fastball. He pitched aggressively. I liked the first-pitch strikes, good low fastballs at the knees. It was a good first outing for him with the Rockies. We’ll see him, hopefully, a few more times over the course of September.”