Denver – All the losing nearly reduced lefty Kyle Freeland to tears as he recently chatted about the woeful state of his hometown Colorado Rockies.
It’s a gloomy situation with the Rockies off to a 7-33 start – one of the worst in major league history – leading to the dismissal of manager Bud Black on Sunday.
Freeland wears his feelings for his city – to the team he grew up rooting for – on his sleeve. More specifically, his right arm, where there are tattoos of the elevation (5,280), area code (303) and an outline of the mountains. The losses weigh heavily on him.
Change arrived in the Mile High air when Black, the franchise’s winningest manager and the only voice that many of the Rockies players have ever known, was let go.
Now, it’s Warren Schaeffer’s turn to navigate the Rockies away from a season that’s careening toward infamy. The Rockies have the worst start since the 1988 Baltimore Orioles began 6-34. Colorado is on pace for 134 losses a season after the Chicago White Sox went 41-121 – the worst since baseball adopted a 162-game schedule in 1961.
Promoted from third base coach to interim manager, Schaeffer inherits a team that’s second-to-last in runs – despite playing home games at hitter-friendly Coors Field – and first in strikeouts. The pitching staff has surrendered the most runs in the big leagues and fanned the fewest batters.
“It’s on all of our shoulders,” Freeland said of the turnaround. “We need to be better, and we need to continue to progress forward.”
The firing of Black came a day after a 21-0 loss to the San Diego Padres. The news was announced late in a 92-87 loss by the NBA’s Denver Nuggets in Game 4 against Oklahoma City at nearby Ball Arena.
Schaeffer brings energy and exuberance to the Rockies clubhouse. He has been Colorado’s third base and infield coach since the 2023 season. Prior to joining the big league team, he spent 10 seasons as a manager and coach in the Rockies’ minor league system.
“A positive atmosphere in the clubhouse, and we’re ready to move forward,” Schaeffer said Monday before the series opener at Texas that marked his debut at interim manager. “I just want them to play loose. From my vantage point, it’s a fresh start.”
Relief pitcher Jake Bird, one of several Rockies who played for Schaeffer when he was a minor league manager, described him as a good communicator who is intelligent and passionate.
“Something just feels different. So I’m really feeling optimistic about the direction moving forward,” Bird said. “I think our team’s a lot more capable than what we’ve been playing.”
General manager Bill Schmidt said after the move was made Sunday that the 40-year-old Schaeffer’s connection to players was a big part of what he brings to his new role.
“I think just a different voice here – we’re at that point where we needed to do that,” Schmidt said.
It’s an uphill climb for the Rockies to avoid a third straight 100-loss season. They have to go 56-66 the rest of the way. They’ve won back-to-back games just once and have three separate eight-game losing streaks.
Freeland was emotional last week after a start on the mound in which he allowed nine runs (five earned).
“Keep believing in us,” Freeland said of his message to Rockies faithful as he choked up.
For infielder Ryan McMahon, it’s about trusting the process.
“I know how to show up and play baseball. That’s the way I’m wired,” McMahon said. “That’s the way a lot of these guys are wired. The record is what it is at this point. It doesn’t affect the game tonight and doesn’t affect the games after that.”
The Rockies haven’t been to the postseason since 2018. Their only World Series appearance was 2007, when they were swept by the Boston Red Sox. Their manager then was Clint Hurdle, who is now the interim bench coach under Schaeffer.
“I’m obviously in a unique situation, being from here. I grew up with the Rockies. It does mean a ton to me,” said Freeland, who broke into the majors under Black in 2017. “I’m going to be probably more proud of us as a group getting this (turnaround) done than me being a Denver kid, being able to get this team to a postseason or to a World Series.”
Guardians still 2 1/2 games behind Tigers
Cleveland – Gabriel Arias had a three-run double in the fourth inning, José Ramírez stole three bases and five Cleveland pitchers combined on a shutout as the Guardians beat the Milwaukee Brewers 5-0 on Monday night.
Arias hit a deep fly ball to center field with two outs and the bases loaded off starter Freddy Peralta (4-3). Milwaukee’s Jackson Chourio got a bad read on the ball and he missed it by a couple inches as it dropped over his left shoulder, scoring three runs.
Prior to Arias’ hit, Ramírez stole second and third base. He stole third in the sixth inning, giving him 255 in his career to move past Terry Turner for third on the franchise’s all-time list.
It is the third time in Ramírez’s career and first since 2021 he has had three stolen bases in a game.
Cleveland starter Ben Lively went three innings before leaving after a couple warm up pitches in the fourth due to right forearm inflammation. Jakob Junis, Kolby Allard, Cade Smith and Hunter Gaddis went the rest of the way for the Guardians’ fifth shutout of the season.
Kyle Manzardo and Carlos Santana also had RBIs for Cleveland, which remains 2 1/2 games behind first-place Detroit in the Central Division standings.
Key moment
Milwaukee had the bases loaded with two outs in the fourth inning, but Junis got Caleb Durbin to hit into a fielder’s choice to end the frame.
Key stat
Peralta struck out four, giving him 1,001 for his career. He is the fourth Milwaukee pitcher to reach 1,000 strikeouts, joining Yovani Gallardo, Ben Sheets and Teddy Higuera.
Up next
Milwaukee sends right-hander Quinn Priester (1-1, 5.08 ERA) to the mound. Cleveland will go with left-hander Logan Allen (1-2, 4.33 ERA).
Pirates OF Pham serves 1-game suspension
New York – Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Tommy Pham served a one-game suspension Monday night against the New York Mets for conduct directed at Los Angeles Angels fans last month.
Pham was disciplined by Major League Baseball and fined an undisclosed amount on April 25 for “inappropriate actions toward” Angels fans during a game two days earlier. The penalty was upheld after his appeal went to a hearing, a Pirates spokesman said Monday.
The 37-year-old Pham reportedly made an obscene gesture to a fan who touched him while he was tracking down a ball in the left-field corner during a 3-0 win over the Angels.
The 12-year veteran is batting .176 with no homers, six RBIs and a .475 OPS in 34 games during his first season with the Pirates.
Pham, who played 79 games for the Mets in 2023, is a .331 career hitter with 10 home runs in 169 at-bats and 55 games at Citi Field.
In other news, Pirates center fielder Oneil Cruz was out of the starting lineup for the second consecutive game after leaving Saturday’s 11-inning loss to Atlanta with lower back tightness.
“He’s getting better. He’s day to day. We’ll see what his availability is tonight,” manager Don Kelly said.
Alexander Canario, acquired from the Mets for cash on March 31, started in center again.
Pittsburgh also reinstated shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa from the 10-day injured list, and he was in the lineup batting sixth.
His first time up, Kiner-Falefa led off the second inning with his first home run since Aug. 17. He had been sidelined since May 1 with a right hamstring strain.
“You guys see it every time he’s out there – the energy he brings, the defense, the contact ability, the way he can hit,” Kelly said before the game. “He can do a lot of different things. He’s a leader on the field for us, and it’s good to have him back out there at short.”
The 30-year-old Kiner-Falefa began the night batting .280 with seven RBIs and a .663 OPS in 30 games this season.
In a corresponding move, infielder Liover Peguero was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis following Sunday’s 4-3 win over the Braves.
Peguero went 2 for 9 in four games with Pittsburgh after being called up May 2 from Indianapolis.
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