Just last week, I wrote about whether or not the Rockies could simply win 10 of their remaining 41 games to avoid being the worst team in the Modern Era. Even if projections showed they would at least win 10, I never would have imagined the Rockies would take care of half of that total in the following week.
Now that Colorado (37-91) just needs to win five of their final 34 games, this team should aim even higher, in addition to trying to play the role of September spoiler. What if they could keep up their current rate of winning through the home stretch of the season?
After the series with the Dodgers, the Rockies are now 15-17 since the Midsummer Classic, including going 7-3 in their last 10 games. They have tied or won their last three series heading into Friday’s series in Pittsburgh. The improvement was much needed following an eight-game losing streak.
The Rockies would have to go 26-8 to avoid a 100-loss season. A .765 winning percentage seems pretty out of reach. Perhaps a more realistic, but still challenging, goal would be to sustain the .469 win percentage through the final stretch. That would translate to winning 16 more games to finish 53-109.
To be clear, this would still be the worst finish in franchise history. As Purple Row’s Renee Dechert broke down earlier this week, the Rockies are still a five-alarm fire. The organization still needs to make changes in how it operates to dig out of this hole and prioritize winning.
Renee also wrote about the Rockies improved performance since the All-Star break, making them much more fun to watch as they demonstrate their resiliency and grit. Being competitive in games, winning some of them through thrilling comebacks, the vibes on the field are better. Then confidence increases and breeds more winning. Watching is much more pleasant as well. Considering this fun stretch, I thought it might be good to dig into what exactly is making the Rockies play better and win more games.
The first notable difference is in offensive production. The Rockies are striking out less, compared to having the highest strikeout per nine rate at 9.72 through July 14. In the last nine games, the Rockies have not struck out more than eight times in a game — a feat they haven’t accomplished since a 10-game stretch in June of 2015.
On top of fewer strikeouts, the Rockies are hitting more homers, and they’ve drastically increased their batting average, especially with runners in scoring position. Shockingly, (insert sarcastic tone here) that leads to more runs and more wins.
Rockies Offensive Stats Pre vs. Post All-Star GameCategory/TimePre-ASRankingPost-ASRankingSeasonRankingRuns33627th14910th490T-27thRuns Per Game3.527th4.6610th3.8328thHRs9024th4211th132T-20thAB/HR35.6924th25.911th32.5821st2Bs15116th586th209T-10AVG.23026th.2733rd.24122ndOBP.29130th.32011th.29830thSLG.37823rd.4516th.39616thOPS.66927th.7716th.69425thAVG. RISP.22229th.2777th.23825thStrikeouts93330th25312th1,13829thStrikeout %26.5%30th21.6%21st25.329thWalks25129th7330th32430thSteals5223rd14T-25th66T-22ndWAR-430th2.623rd-1.430th
Brenton Doyle’s improved play since mid-July has helped boost Colorado’s production. Doyle’s .386 batting average is the fourth best in MLB since the All-Star Game, while Jordan Beck’s .311 ranks No. 19 just behind Shohei Ohtani. Doyle’s .418 on-base percentage and .651 slugging percentage are both seventh best.
These stats show improvement that really is significant. With the top-heavy first half, which has 96 games compared to the 32 the Rockies have played since, it also shows how bad that first half really was. The Rockies progress in just over a month hasn’t moved their 2025 overall rankings much. The Rockies are still bad, but there is hope if they can continue to trend in the right direction.
On the other hand, Colorado’s pitching is still very problematic. Looking on the bright side, the Rockies have more starter wins and significantly more reliever wins and saves. With more victories, especially with an influx of comeback wins, that makes sense.
Rockies Pitching Stats Pre vs. Post All-Star GameCategory/TimePre-ASRankingPost-ASRankingSeasonRankingERA.55630th.72030th6.0030thStarter ERA6.19030th.76530th6.5430thStarter Wins1030th723rd1730thReliever ERA4.8826th6.6630th5.3229thReliever Wins1230th83rd20T-24thK/96.830th728th6.8130thBB/93.5425th3.5522nd3.5525thHR/91.3928th1.79030th1.4830thSaves1728th810th2527thWAR2.730th-0.230th2.230th
The Rockies have the cards stacked against them when it comes to pitching. They need to draft and develop better and set up pitchers to succeed more effectively, but they will likely never be in the top tier in any category in pitching. The starting pitching and bullpen must be better. But, in reality, just being average with an above-average offense is the likeliest path to a better future for the Rockies. At least the hitters are showing flashes of potential in that area.
In the final 34 games, making progress on the mound and at the plate could not only bring more Rockies fans after an emotional season that’s been largely painful, but also help to pave the road for a better 2026.
Triple-A: Las Vegas Aviators 11, Albuquerque Isotopes 10
Despite falling behind 10-1 in the fifth inning, the Isotopes rallied back to tie the game at 10-all in the sixth inning, only to have Las Vegas retake the lead in the seventh and win 11-10 on Thursday night. Drew Romo homered, Sam Hilliard hit a two-run triple, Keston Huira added an RBI double and Michael Toglia threw in a run-scoring single to help Albuquerque cut the Aviators lead to 10-6 by the end of the fifth inning. In the sixth, it was Braiden Ward’s turn to hit a two-run triple, Owen Miller drove in a run on a groundout and Hilliard hit a solo shot to make it 10-10.
Double-A: Hartford Yard Goats 4, Someserset Patriots 3, Game 1
Jose Cordova reached on a fielding error to score Cole Carrigg, who represented the winning run in the top of the eighth inning (extra innings in a doubleheader) in Game 1 on Thursday. The inning capped off a brilliant comeback that saw the Yard Goats erase a 3-0 deficit. Those three runs all came in the sixth inning when Charlie Condon, Benny Montgomery and Cordova all hit RBI singles.
Hartford Yard Goats 5, Someserset Patriots 3, Game 2
Charlie Condon hit a two-run homer and added another solo shot to lead Hartford to a doubleheader sweep. Dyan Jorge and Julio Carreras each added run-scoring singles and Tomas Frick chipped in a sac fly.
High-A: Everett AquaSox 3, Spokane Indians 2, 10
Anthony Donofrio hit a walk-off single in extra innings to help Everett beat Spokane on Thursday night. Andy Perez hit a two-run double in the top of the first inning to put Spokane up early, but the AquaSox rallied back. Stu Flesland III threw seven solid innings, striking out seven while giving up two runs on four hits and two walks for the Indians. Perez, Jesus Bugarin and Skyler Messinger all had two hits for the Indians with Messinger and Blake Wright scoring Spokane’s only runs of the game.
Low-A: Fresno Grizzlies 3. San Jose Giants 0
Brody Brecht threw five scoreless innings, striking out five with one walk and four hits to get the Grizzlies off to a hot start and Zack Morris finished the job with four more strikeouts with only two walks and three hits in four scoreless frames. Brecht earned the win, while Morris got the save. In the first inning, Derek Bernard hit an RBI double to score Ethan Holliday and Wiler Dalis hit an RBI double to score Bernard to put Fresno up 2-0. The Giants out-hit the Grizzlies seven to four, but Fresno made them count.
One potential prospect callup for each team |MLB.com
The last time the crew at MLB.com wrote one of these, it predicted that Kyle Karros would get a call-up. He did shortly after. This time, the projection is outfielder Sterlin Thompson.
Rockies Pitcher Pledges To Give Up Home Run For Sick Child | The Onion
In a satiric twist on the famous story of Babe Ruth fulfilling a promise to hit a homer for a sick kid in the 1926 World Series, the Onion took it the other way to feature the Rockies giving up a homer to help a kid. Well done, Onion — as always.
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