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As Colorado Rockies players, outside of catcher Hunter Goodman, who is on the National League All-Star team as a reserve for Tuesday night's MLB All-Star Game, and coaches take a break, they'll return to a busy schedule.
On Friday night, the Rockies will open a three-game series against the Cincinnati Reds, followed by another three-game series against the Washington Nationals. All these games will be played at Coors Field, so Colorado has a homefield advantage here.
Yet, will it be a case of second-half blues for the Rockies?
Colorado had a chance to gain ground in the National League West Division against the San Francisco Giants, but ended up the first half of this season losing three of four games at Oracle Park.
The Rockies are 39-59 overall and in last place at the All-Star break, three games behind the Giants for fourth place in the NL West. The Reds are also cellar dwellers in the NL Central, posting a 43-52 record and six games out of fourth place.
As for the Nationals, they've been playing better baseball lately, although their record might not reflect that point. Washington is 48-49, comfortably eight games ahead of the New York Mets in the NL East, and sits in fourth place. The Nationals are four games behind the Miami Marlins for third place in the division.
Getting two out of three wins against the Reds, followed by potentially doing the same thing against the Nationals, would be a solid tonic for Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer and his team.
The Rockies, though, need more quality pitchers in starting roles. Kyle Freeland, Ryan Feltner, and Tanner Gordon must start going out to the mound and extend their outings into at least the fifth and sixth innings.
Relying on solid starting pitchers has not been a strength of the team so far in the 2026 season. Schaeffer has had to rely on his bullpen a lot. That bullpen, though, has been playing a vital part late in games. Why? Because Colorado has developed a knack for rallying late.
It's quite obvious that this season's Rockies team wants to become a better version of last season's squad. When Cole Carrigg, TJ Rumfield, Goodman, Jake McCarthy, and Kyle Karros can all contribute and be on the same page, good things have happened this season.
Another factor around these first six games that cannot be avoided is that Colorado will be playing in the friendly confines of Coors Field. The Rockies are three games under .500 when playing before the hometown fans. On the road, they are an abysmal 17-34.
They've gone 4-6 in their last 10 games with that Giants series taking a big chunk out of Colorado's momentum.
Antonio Senzatela and Jordan Romano have been putting up pretty good numbers in the first half out of the bullpen. Romano just joined the Rockies recently, but he's been able to put together some solid relief efforts.
Senzatela is 9-2 out of the Colorado bullpen. Zach Agnos and Brennan Bernardino have shown signs of also contributing late in some games.
So, can the Rockies avoid those second-half blues, falling further behind the Giants? They are really going to have to work for it, starting with the next series against the Reds. Again, Colorado has shown the ability to be a bunch of comeback kids. That, too, must continue to be the case until the final game of the 2026 MLB season.
Rockies Roundtable has its own weekly podcast!
Rockies Rap, which covers the latest data, analytics, and information around the Rockies, is available now on Spotify. New episodes drop on Thursdays.
Like and subscribe to Rockies Rap.
Check it out right here on Spotify.
Continue reading...
On Friday night, the Rockies will open a three-game series against the Cincinnati Reds, followed by another three-game series against the Washington Nationals. All these games will be played at Coors Field, so Colorado has a homefield advantage here.
Yet, will it be a case of second-half blues for the Rockies?
Colorado had a chance to gain ground in the National League West Division against the San Francisco Giants, but ended up the first half of this season losing three of four games at Oracle Park.
Rockies still sit in last place
The Rockies are 39-59 overall and in last place at the All-Star break, three games behind the Giants for fourth place in the NL West. The Reds are also cellar dwellers in the NL Central, posting a 43-52 record and six games out of fourth place.
As for the Nationals, they've been playing better baseball lately, although their record might not reflect that point. Washington is 48-49, comfortably eight games ahead of the New York Mets in the NL East, and sits in fourth place. The Nationals are four games behind the Miami Marlins for third place in the division.
Getting two out of three wins against the Reds, followed by potentially doing the same thing against the Nationals, would be a solid tonic for Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer and his team.
The Rockies, though, need more quality pitchers in starting roles. Kyle Freeland, Ryan Feltner, and Tanner Gordon must start going out to the mound and extend their outings into at least the fifth and sixth innings.
Relying on solid starting pitchers has not been a strength of the team so far in the 2026 season. Schaeffer has had to rely on his bullpen a lot. That bullpen, though, has been playing a vital part late in games. Why? Because Colorado has developed a knack for rallying late.
Young players are delivering
It's quite obvious that this season's Rockies team wants to become a better version of last season's squad. When Cole Carrigg, TJ Rumfield, Goodman, Jake McCarthy, and Kyle Karros can all contribute and be on the same page, good things have happened this season.
Another factor around these first six games that cannot be avoided is that Colorado will be playing in the friendly confines of Coors Field. The Rockies are three games under .500 when playing before the hometown fans. On the road, they are an abysmal 17-34.
They've gone 4-6 in their last 10 games with that Giants series taking a big chunk out of Colorado's momentum.
Antonio Senzatela and Jordan Romano have been putting up pretty good numbers in the first half out of the bullpen. Romano just joined the Rockies recently, but he's been able to put together some solid relief efforts.
Senzatela is 9-2 out of the Colorado bullpen. Zach Agnos and Brennan Bernardino have shown signs of also contributing late in some games.
So, can the Rockies avoid those second-half blues, falling further behind the Giants? They are really going to have to work for it, starting with the next series against the Reds. Again, Colorado has shown the ability to be a bunch of comeback kids. That, too, must continue to be the case until the final game of the 2026 MLB season.
Rockies Rap
Rockies Roundtable has its own weekly podcast!
Rockies Rap, which covers the latest data, analytics, and information around the Rockies, is available now on Spotify. New episodes drop on Thursdays.
Like and subscribe to Rockies Rap.
Check it out right here on Spotify.
Continue reading...
