Rocky Mountain High: Rockies collect first 3-game sweep in over a year amidst one of the worst starts in league history
Photo Credit: David Zalubowski/AP Photo
It has been a historically bad start to the season for the Colorado Rockies, who were 9-50 before their three-game series against the Miami Marlins began on Monday. The Rockies set the modern record for fewest wins (eight) in the first 50 games of a season, losing a record 22 consecutive series, dating back to last season.
According to Elias Sports, the Rockies’ 9-50 record was the worst by a team entering their first series sweep of the season since 1990.
The Rockies would break that streak in Miami this week, with their first three-game sweep since they swept the San Diego Padres in May 2024, more than a full year ago. It was also the Rockies’ first series win of the 2025 season.
In Game 1, catcher Hunter Goodman went three-for-five with two home runs and three runs batted in, leading the Rockies to just their third win in their last 15 games. In Game 2, they snapped their streak of 22 consecutive series losses with a 3-2 victory over the Marlins. Once again, Goodman was the hero, hitting the go-ahead home run in the eighth inning. They would complete the sweep with another 3-2 win in Miami on Wednesday. Starting pitcher Kyle Freeland didn’t allow an earned run, picking up his first win since last September.
“It feels amazing to get the sweep,” said Hunter Goodman after yesterday’s game. “We’ve played some of the best teams in baseball the last two weeks, and it’s felt like we were one swing away, every game. To just be able to finish some games and win three in a row like we did this week gives us a lot of momentum.”
Goodman is right, the Rockies have played some of baseball’s best teams in recent weeks. They were swept by the New York Mets, Chicago Cubs, and Philadelphia Phillies, teams with the three best records in the National League. They were also swept by the Detroit Tigers, who have the best record in baseball, and lost two out of three to the New York Yankees, who are in control of first place in the American League East.
The Rockies have had their fair share of losses, some blowouts, and some close games. On one side, they’ve lost 16 games by at least five runs. Their -181 run differential is by far the worst in the league, 53 runs behind the next worst mark. On the other side, they are 6-10 in one-run games. Both trends can easily be explained. The Rockies have given up the most runs per game in the league while scoring the least. Their 196 runs scored is the worst in baseball, joining the Pittsburgh Pirates as the only other team to not score 200 runs yet this season. Their 377 runs allowed is second-to-last in the league, only 12 behind the Athletics, who have scored 65 more runs than the Rockies.
The Rockies are on pace to lose 130 games, which would be a modern record, breaking the one set by the Chicago White Sox in 2024 (121 losses).
It doesn’t help that the Rockies are a part of one of the best divisions in baseball, the NL West. The West, led by the 37-25 Los Angeles Dodgers, has three teams that are six or more games over .500, with a fourth team, the Arizona Diamondbacks, one game under that mark and only six and a half games out of first place. The Rockies are 3-13 against teams in the NL West, with 36 games remaining against their division counterparts.
“If not being the worst team in baseball is our focus, then we’re going to be the worst team in baseball,” said Kyle Freeland in an article posted on ESPN.com. “Our focus is ‘Let’s get better every day.’ That’s the lens. We have a new manager, new coaches, and a lot of moving parts. But let’s focus on ourselves.”
Long-time manager Bud Black was fired on May 11, following a 7-33 start to the season. Surprisingly, the nine-year Rockies manager was let go after a 9-3 win over the Padres, which snapped an eight-game losing streak. However, the Rockies were trending down in recent seasons under Black, posting back-to-back 100-loss seasons in the past two years.
The Rockies haven’t improved much under interim manager Warren Schaeffer, who served as the team’s third-base coach before his promotion. The Rockies have faced a gauntlet of teams during Schaeffer’s first month in charge, but have been more competitive, even if their record doesn’t show it. Over the last few weeks, the Rockies lost eight of 12 games by two runs or fewer. The Rockies are 5-17 under Schaeffer, with things trending in the right direction after their sweep of the Marlins.
“We treat every day as a new day,” said infielder Tyler Freeman. “It’s tough to look at the record right now. But everyone is working hard. We come in looking to win. The results haven’t shown, but we have to stay patient. If we take a look at the beginning of the year to now, it’s way different. I think we’ve turned a corner.”
While the Rockies may feel like they’ve turned a corner, they have to use the momentum to their advantage. Just one sweep of the third-worst team in the NL won’t be enough to dig them out of this historic hole.
June will be a tough month for the Rockies. They face the Mets again, three division rivals over .500, and the 34-29 Milwaukee Brewers. Only six of their games this month come against teams more than one game under .500, during a trip out East to play the 27-33 Atlanta Braves and the 29-32 Washington Nationals.
If the Rockies keep up their competitive play under Schaeffer and win some of their one-run games, they could soon turn their season around. July is a much more favorable month for the Rockies. They play the 19-43 White Sox, the 24-36 Baltimore Orioles, the 30-34 Boston Red Sox, and the 30-33 Cincinnati Reds. Nine of their 12 games in July against teams with a winning record are at home.
“We have like 100 games left,” said pitcher Austin Gomber. “We can throw that record off by just a good two-week stretch. I’m confident that we’ll turn it around from that standpoint because just watching, I’ve seen us much more competitive every night. It’s going to turn.”
