Just last year, the Chicago White Sox set the record for the worst season ever by a Major League ball club (in 162 games), going a pathetic 41-121. Now, not even a year later, the Colorado Rockies are in serious contention of shattering that record. Colorado currently sits at a measly 12-50, and is on pace to win just 31 games. Despite the horrific start for the club, they’re playing some of their best ball of the season currently.
Coming into the 3-game series vs the Miami Marlins, the Rockies had already racked up 50 losses before hitting double-digit wins. Miami, on the other hand, was expected to be one of the worst teams this season, but has surprisingly put together some competitive games despite their 23-37 record. Despite this, Colorado managed to not only come into town and win their first series of the season, but swept the Marlins in their own house.
The Rockies came into the series with none of their expected starting pitchers posting an ERA below 5.50. Regardless, the pitching staff set the team up to win each day, allowing just eight runs across the entire series.
The efficient pitching performances put the offense in a position with little pressure, needing minimal run support to get the win each night. The Rockies’ bats did just enough to put themselves up, squeaking out two one-run wins to end the series. Hunter Goodman was the star of the series, racking up multiple hits in each game, with seven total knocks and three of them going for home runs.
It wasn’t the prettiest sweep, but nothing besides the win column matters in Colorado right now, especially for a team trying to avoid the wrong side of history.
The Rockies will get a day off following their series win, and will head home to host the NL East-leading New York Mets on Friday. Unfortunately, Colorado won’t get to play bottom-feeders like the Marlins every day, but this goes to show the clubhouse has plenty of fight in it. Due to anti-tanking rules, the Rockies are ineligible for a top-10 pick this upcoming draft (to the dismay of many), meaning there isn’t much incentive to give up on the season, unlike other professional sports leagues.
The first series win may have Colorado vibes at an all-time high this season, but that doesn’t change much on the season outlook. This is still a squad that managed 50 losses by the first week of June, and the playoffs are completely out of the question, even if the Rockies aren’t technically eliminated yet.
The Rockies may not be fighting to play in October, but there is still plenty of reason for the team to look to build on this success. The club has plenty of young, talented players such as Chase Dollander, Jordan Beck, and others. These young bucks will greatly benefit from not only developing on the field, but also as leaders in the clubhouse.
Of course, the biggest incentive to play for is the chase for 42 wins. The shame of going down in the history books as the worst of all time should be enough to light a fire under the Rockies to regroup. Perhaps the Miami series is the start of a turning point, but it’s hard to tell based on half a week of games. In the famous words of Jimmy Connors, “I hate to lose more than I love to win.”
At the end of the day, the Colorado Rockies are, plain and simple, just not a good team. This isn’t to say the team doesn’t have some players that can be great in the future, but that’s a ways away. For now, the main focus in Colorado is on striving for that 42-win mark to avoid the wrong side of history. It’s hard to believe the team will play this poorly for a full season, but only time will tell.
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