Struggling Rockies Must Stop Slide in September to Set Stage for Next Season

Colorado continues to be caught in the quicksand as 2026 winds down, but they need to finish string to be more mentally prepared to win in 2027

Colorado Rockies catcher Hunter Goodman | Credit: Ron Chenoy | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It's been business as usual in the brewery state of Colorado, but whats bubbling up should be fully birthed by now.

Denver's local hardballers seemed ready to brawl with baseball's best at one point this season, but lately, they have barely been getting off the barstool. That apathy as the season reaches September, the Colorado Rockies are merely suffering the same hangover they have for the previous three years.

Trying to kick the habit, the Rox have retooled with rookies and prospects that have fans around the Mile High City looking forward to the future. With catcher Hunter Goodman leading the way now, and surefire stars like Charlie Condon, Ethan Holliday, and Roldy Brito all poised to lead a Rocky Mountain revolution, the team has already been showing signs of brilliance at times during the current campaign.

With one month remaining in the season, it's time to cut this team off when it comes to excuses. This young team needs something to hang their hat on, and breaking out of an alarming era - even in some small way - is an odd type of victory. At least, when it comes to momentum.

The Rockies have finished in last place and lost 100 games in 2023, 2024, and 2025. They're threatening to continue that trend again this year. The basement may be unavoidable because they trailed the fourth-place San Francisco Giants by 4.5 games entering the final day of August.

With 25 games to play, they are 52-85. 15 more losses would guarantee this year would be just another Groundhog Day for the Rockies, who have been starring in this same bad movie for almost half a decade now.

Rockies Pitching a Problem

Colorado starting pitcher Kyle Freeland | Credit: Robert Edwards | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Colorado has gone 2-8 in its last 10 games, heading into Monday night's game against the Baltimore Orioles. And the pitching staff has been a serious and crippling problem for this team that just can't get that losing monkey off its back.

The staff is currently last in Major League Baseball in ERA with a cumulative 5.29 mark. The numbers get even more blurry from there. The Rox hurlers also rank 18th with 3.37 walks per nine innings, and they are 28th in save conversions with a 58.8% rate. To top it all off, they've allowed 187 home runs (27th in MLB).

That' not to say the offense is on fire, by any stretch of the imagination. But if this team is going to right the ship enough to avoid 100 defeats and have some decent vibes heading into 2027? They're going to need to string together some wins down the stretch in September, and that begins and ends with solid pitching. Otherwise, it will be another relapse and replay of the past few sad seasons.