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Colorado Rockies first baseman TJ Rumfield (7) hits against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the first inning of a baseball game, Sunday, May 24, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo\/Rick Scuteri)<\/p>\nAt the Memorial Day milestone of the MLB season, the Rockies are struggling on the mound and at the plate.<\/p>\n
After Sunday\u2019s 9-1 loss in Arizona against the Diamondbacks, Colorado stands at 20-34 on the season. While the franchise is currently going through a tough stretch (3-8 over their last 11 games), it\u2019s still a step up from where the Rockies were last season, when the team didn\u2019t earn its 20th win of the season until July 3.<\/p>\n
So what\u2019s going wrong for the Rockies right now? Let\u2019s start on the mound.<\/p>\n
Pitching<\/p>\n
The Rockies worked this offseason to put together pitching depth. Now that plan is being pushed to the limit.<\/p>\n
With Jose Quintana leaving Sunday\u2019s start in Arizona in the second inning, Colorado\u2019s rotation has quickly become full of injuries and question marks.<\/p>\n
Quintana\u2019s left elbow discomfort adds his name to the walking wounded for the Rockies rotation, joining Ryan Feltner (right ulnar nerve inflammation) and Chase Dollander (right elbow sprain) as pitchers who have had their seasons impacted by injuries.<\/p>\n
Add those to Kyle Freeland (11.21 ERA over his four May starts) and Michael Lorenzen (9.15 ERA in his four May starts) and there aren\u2019t many positives to take from the rotation this month.<\/p>\n
In May, Colorado\u2019s starters are 2-13 with an overall ERA of 8.26, the highest mark of any MLB team. That\u2019s a number that doesn\u2019t bode well as the Rockies prepare to open a three-game series at Chavez Ravine against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday night.<\/p>\n
How bad has it been lately for Colorado\u2019s pitching? Tomoyuki Sugano\u2019s quality start on Friday night in Arizona (6 2\/3 innings and two runs allowed) gave the Rockies their first quality start since Quintana\u2019s quality start on May 1 against the Atlanta Braves (six innings and one run allowed). Sugano\u2019s outing snapped a streak of 18 consecutive starts without a quality start by a Colorado pitcher, the third-longest drought in franchise history and the longest since a 21-game stretch June 5-28, 2012.<\/p>\n
While Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer and president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta have been insistent that Colorado isn\u2019t going to rush prospects to Denver, the time may be coming when young arms will have to step in and eat innings.<\/p>\n
If there is good news, it is that Feltner looked solid in his Triple-A rehab start on Sunday afternoon in Las Vegas, going five innings and striking out six while scattering six hits and allowing just one run. It was his second rehab start, meaning he could rejoin the Rockies later in the week, perhaps starting on Friday night at home against the San Francisco Giants.<\/p>\n
However, the next three days against the Dodgers will be interesting to watch. Outside of Freeland\u2019s scheduled start on Tuesday, Colorado\u2019s starting plans are in flux.<\/p>\n
The Rockies have ridden long relievers in recent games, including Zach Agnos and Tanner Gordon, but whether Colorado has enough arms with length to get to Thursday\u2019s off day remains to be seen.<\/p>\n
And no, the Rockies have no plans to bring Antonio Senzatela back into the rotation.<\/p>\n
Colorado Rockies first baseman TJ Rumfield (7) hits against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the first inning of a baseball game, Sunday, May 24, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo\/Rick Scuteri)<\/p>\n
Hitting<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s roster won\u2019t be confused with the Blake Street Bombers.<\/p>\n
Colorado hasn\u2019t hit a home run in seven of its last eight games, with only a TJ Rumfield shot on Saturday night keeping the Rockies from setting a new franchise record for most consecutive games without a homer.<\/p>\n
Part of that stretch includes five games without a home run at Coors Field, marking the first time since May 9-13, 2017, that the Rockies haven\u2019t hit one over the fence at home.<\/p>\n
While the home run numbers are among the lowest of any MLB team, Schaeffer told reporters in Arizona that perhaps too much is being made of the lack of recent power from his team.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t need to win by hitting home runs,\u201d Schaeffer said on Saturday night. \u201cYou win by doing a lot of different things. We won a game (Friday) night without hitting a homer \u2014 I\u2019ll take that 162 times.\u201d<\/p>\n
Right now, the Rockies will take a win by any means necessary, but perhaps the most concerning number when it comes to Colorado\u2019s lack of homers is who hasn\u2019t been hitting them.<\/p>\n
This year, Mickey Moniak (12) and Hunter Goodman (11) are responsible for 23 of the Rockies\u2019 45 home runs. Outside of Moniak, Goodman and Rumfield (seven home runs), no Rockies player has more than two homers in 2026.<\/p>\n
With Moniak currently shelved with an ankle injury and the Rockies starting a three-game series at Dodger Stadium on Monday night, will Colorado have to resort to \u201csmall ball\u201d offense to score against the two-time defending champions?<\/p>\n
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