The director might have changed, but the Rox Show looks the same.

In their second game under interim manager Warren Schaeffer, the Rockies’ offense was once again a no-show in a 4-1 loss to the Rangers on Tuesday night at Globe Field. Schaeffer was named interim manager on Sunday when Bud Black was fired.

The Rockies slid to 7-35, keeping pace for the worst start in major league history. Colorado is tied with the 1932 Red Sox for the worst record after 42 games. The 1928 Phillies and 1988 Orioles were 8-34 after 42 games.

The Rockies threatened in the ninth when Ryan McMahon led off with a double and Hunter Goodman followed with a single, but reliever Shawn Armstrong struck out Michael Toglia, Sean Bouchard and Owen Miller — all looking.

“We brought the tying run to the plate there in the ninth and the boys fought,” Schaeffer told reporters in Arlington, Texas. “(With) the one run on the scoreboard you might not think that, but our guys fought. I thought there was grind and grit there.”

But Colorado’s been haunted by a recurring theme all season: putting runners on base but failing to put the ball in play. The Rockies went 2 for 7 with runners in scoring position Tuesday night and their RISP average for the season is .205, trailing only the Orioles (.189).

The Rockies slid to 7-35, keeping pace for the worst start in major league history. Colorado is tied with the 1932 Red Sox for the worst record after 42 games. The 1928 Phillies and 1988 Orioles were 8-34 after 42 games.

Third baseman Josh Jung gave the Rangers all the runs they needed, hitting a three-run homer in the first and a solo blast in the seventh.

Texas veteran right-hander Jack Leiter pitched six innings, allowing one run on two hits with three walks and five strikeouts. He needed just 89 pitches.

“Leiter was really good tonight and our hitters had a tough time with him,” Schaeffer said. “He landed the off-speed (pitches) early and they were in play tonight. That was some nasty stuff.”

Colorado lefty Kyle Freeland survived a rugged first inning and went on to pitch a solid six innings, giving his club a chance to snare a rare road victory. Nothing doing. The Rockies slipped to 2-19 on the road, the worst start in franchise history away from Colorado.

Freeland is in the running for the least-supported pitcher award. He entered the game having received 10 total runs of support in his first eight starts, a 2.29 run-support average that was the fifth lowest in the majors.

Colorado took a 1-0 lead in the first on Hunter Goodman’s RBI single off Leiter to drive in Jordan Beck, who reached on a one-out single and stole second base. But from that point on? Crickets — until Michael Toglia hit a leadoff single in the seventh, and until the ultimately empty mini-rally in the ninth.

Five pitches into his start, Freeland was staring at a 3-1 deficit. Rangers leadoff hitter Sam Haggery ambushed Freeland’s first pitch of the game into center field for a single. Wyatt Lanford ripped Freeland’s fourth pitch into right field for a single. Jung hammered the fifth pitch 386 feet for a three-run homer to right-center.

But the gritty Freeland, as he often does, buckled down. He blanked Texas for the next five innings, allowing just three hits. Nonetheless, he’s now 0-6 with a 6.15 ERA.

“The first three hitters, Kyle’s fastball command wasn’t there, but then he settled in and made a nice quality start,” Schaeffer said.  “After the first inning, I think the heater and the curveball both worked for him. The command was better. It looked to be like he calmed down a bit and then he took over from there.”

Pitching matchup

Rockies RHP Antonio Senzatela (1-6, 5.77 ERA) at Rangers LHP Patrick Corbin (2-2, 3.13)

6:05 p.m. Wednesday, Globe Life Field

TV: Rockies.TV (streaming); Comcast/Xfinity (channel 1262); DirecTV (683); Spectrum (130, 445, 305, 435 or 445, depending on region).

Radio: 850 AM, 94.1 FM

Trending: Road woes are nothing new to the Rockies, but this season has been a disaster. Colorado entered Tuesday night with a 2-18 mark on the road, the worst start in franchise history. With their 2-1 loss to the Rangers on Monday night, the Rockies became the sixth team in the modern era (since 1901) to lose 18 of their first 20 road games, joining the 1904 Senators, 1961 Angels, 1988 Orioles, 2005 Astros and 2006 Royals. The Rockies were slashing .189/.249/.286 in their 20 games on the road, ranking 30th among all teams in those categories.

Pitching probables

Thursday: Off day

Friday: Rockies TBA at Diamondbacks RHP Corbin Burnes (2-1, 2.95), 7:40 p.m.

— Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post

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Originally Published: May 13, 2025 at 9:01 PM MDT