SAN DIEGO _ On video, in the cage, even in the on-deck circle, there is nowhere Wil Myers hasn't turned to in a months-long search to steer out of the most frustrating skid of his career.
He may not have all the answers as a second up-and-down season in San Diego winds down.
Myers does, however, have momentum.
In an 8-4 loss to the playoff-hopeful Rockies to close Petco Park's 2017 slate, the 26-year-old Myers set a new career-high with his 29th homer in a two-hit day that continued a strong final month.
His first-inning homer, Yangervis Solarte's ensuing career-best 18th blast and rookie Christian Villanueva's third home run in four games accounted for all of San Diego's offense as Colorado ran up the score on the Padres' relief corps. The Padres' first baseman also snuck a third-inning double down the right-field line for his ninth multi-hit game of the month.
Myers had just eight the previous two months combined.
Nevertheless, Myers' 29 homers one-ups his total last year as an All-Star and are the most since Chase Headley hit 31 in 2012.
After Solarte's ensuing blast to right, Rockies right-hander German Marquez (5 innings pitched) quieted the Padres' offense only to watch from the bench as Villanueva tightened the affair in the sixth.
Solarte greeted new reliever Scott Oberg with a single to right and Villanueva hooked a high, two-run shot off the facade of the second deck of the Western Metal Supply co. building to cut the Padres' deficit to 5-4.
From there, four Colorado relievers blanked the Padres over the final three innings as Black's team increased its second wild-card cushion to two games.
In his penultimate start of the year, Luis Perdomo allowed leadoff baserunners to score in each of the first three innings. Two _ in the second and third innings _ reached on his lone walks, an improvement over the career-high-tying six he issued in a win that, nevertheless, saw a string of starts of at least six innings snapped at 10.
Sunday's effort lasted just five, although Perdomo had retired seven in a row by the time he was lifted for pinch-hitter Erick Aybar.
The damage was already done.
Charlie Blackmon's leadoff single to start the game was parlayed into a run on Mark Reynolds' two-out single to center. Ian Desmond's leadoff walk in the second scored after a steal, a wild pitch and Rocky Gale's errant throw into left field. In the third, run-scoring singles from Gerardo Parra and Desmond opened up a 4-2 lead in an inning that began with a walk and a single.
Perdomo struck out four and allowed six hits.
Left-hander Kyle McGrath allowed a run on two hits and a walk in the sixth. After two shutout frames from right-hander Phil Maton, Pat Valaika and Blackmon added back-to-blasts blast off left-hander Buddy Baumann in a three-run ninth.
