SAN FRANCISCO -- The Rockies were three outs away from being shut out for the 13th time this season on Thursday night, capping a frustrating series in which they had been outscored 11-5 in the first two games.

Not so fast. The Rockies did go on to lose the game, 6-4, but not before making a little noise ahead of the final out. And they certainly didn't make it easy for the Giants, forcing two pitching changes and creating a save situation out of what had been a six-run San Francisco lead.

Though the Rockies were swept in three games at Oracle Park, they'll bring some momentum with them as they head down south to close out the season with six games against the Dodgers in Los Angeles. Colorado extended its season-high-tying five-game losing streak, but manager Bud Black was able to find a silver lining in his team's approach late in the game.

"When these guys are facing Logan Webb, they're facing Carlos Rodón, they're facing Major League pitchers -- there's a learning curve that they've got to get through," Black said. "These guys aren't going to do what they did in Triple-A. They're not. This is the big leagues. But they're learning. And tonight, it showed up late."

Rodón indeed presented a steep learning curve early in the game. He allowed a double to Yonathan Daza to lead off the game but then retired 15 straight, mowing down the Rockies until Ezequiel Tovar snapped the streak with his first big league double to lead off the sixth inning.

Those two hits were all the Rockies had entering the ninth inning. Down to their final three outs, the lineup finally found a groove, stringing together hits for the first time all series. Three of the four Colorado rookies who came to the plate recorded hits, highlighted by Sean Bouchard's two-run homer and Elehuris Montero's RBI triple.

The rally died when Tovar grounded out to end the game, but the Rockies were nonetheless pleased with the grit he showed.

"There were some good at-bats, even the last at-bat Tovar had against their closer. He battled him," Black said. "The ninth inning was growth for these guys. [Alan] Trejo, base hit. [Michael] Toglia made contact, put it in play. Those are the things that we have to do."

Added rookie starting pitcher Ryan Feltner: "We have some really good hitters in the lineup, and seeing those guys -- they just never give up. It's frustrating from a pitching standpoint. I wish I could have done a little better to keep us in that game when we come back like that."

After struggling early to the tune of a five-run second inning, the 26-year-old right-hander was able to settle down and go six innings, putting up zeros the rest of the way.

"It didn't look good -- 34 pitches, grand slam," Black said of Feltner's second inning. "But that showed us something. It showed his teammates something."

Despite putting together a disappointing season of their own, the Giants have continued to be a thorn in the Rockies' side. Colorado has now lost eight straight to San Francisco this season, dating back to Aug. 21. That's the longest single-season losing streak to the Giants in franchise history (the Rockies had previously lost 12 straight to them over two seasons, from August 2021-May 2022).

Since the beginning of 2021, the Rockies have been tormented by the Giants, going 9-29 against their NL West foes. Colorado's .236 winning percentage against San Francisco over the last two seasons is the team's lowest such mark against any opponent they have faced in multiple series in that period of time.

This year, the Rockies are more than ready to bid adieu to San Francisco. But don't count them out next year.

"We haven't played them great the last couple of years. It's cyclical," Black said. "Last year they beat a lot of people, over 100 wins, not just the Rockies. This year, they caught us at a time when we haven't been hitting the ball these last couple series. We're looking forward to next year. Things will be different."