DETROIT -- The Rockies keep running into the same wall, and Josh Byrnes isn’t interested in dressing it up.
The Colorado general manager said Sunday morning that the club can’t afford to think only about what comes next while the losses keep piling up now. At the same time, he made clear that progress without wins still falls short of the point.
“I mean, you can’t be so future-focused that you’re not trying to win every day,” Byrnes said on Sunday morning. “This last month has been very frustrating, because we certainly could have and should have won more games.
And in terms of progress, 100 losses is a sightline. It means something, but the White Sox [who entered Sunday leading the American League Central] lost 100 last year.
“I don’t ever think it’s good -- in the Minor Leaguers, in the Major Leagues -- to rationalize losing, ever. We’re trying to win.
Yeah, in terms of how young our team is and some of the players we brought in, there’s talent and there is progress. But it’s about winning, and we’re not there yet.”
Byrnes spoke after another rough day for Colorado, one that ended in an 8-1 loss to the Tigers. The defeat finished off a three-game sweep, closed out an 0-6 road trip, stretched the losing streak to seven and pushed the Rockies to 94 losses with 13 games left. Rookie Gabriel Hughes was at the center of it, needing 70 pitches to get through two innings while allowing five runs.
The Rockies have now dropped 20 of their last 25, and Byrnes pointed to the same three trouble spots that keep showing up: offense, defense and pitching. He also noted one area where the group has at least shown some value.
Offensively, the numbers are better than last year’s, but the production still hasn’t matched the overall shape of the season. Colorado entered Sunday with an offensive wins above replacement total of 8.2, according to FanGraphs, a sharp jump from last year’s -3.0.
Even so, the missed chances have been costly, especially lately. Before the All-Star break, the Rockies ranked fifth in OPS with runners in scoring position at .790.
Since then, that number has fallen to .693, which ranks fifth lowest.
“Most of the year, until the last month, we did well with men on base -- we cashed in runners from third and were opportunistic,” Byrnes said. “We produce offense against righties and lefties. But lately we’ve just left a lot of runs on the board.”
The defense has also been part of the problem. Riley Greene’s triple to center on Friday was the kind of play that could have required a highlight-reel stop from rookie Cole Carrigg.
On Saturday, Jordan Beck’s trouble on Hao-Yu Lee’s eighth-inning triple turned a two-run game into a four-run one. Colorado has young players capable of making impact plays - Beck has thrown out runners with two impressive throws recently - but Byrnes said the group still needs more consistency.
He mentioned the range of Jake McCarthy and Zac Veen, along with the steadiness of Mickey Moniak, while also acknowledging that miscues to the wrong bases and similar mistakes keep adding up.
“Some teams, their defense kind of carries their pitching,” Byrnes said. “The Cubs this year, their defense is more their run prevention than their actual pitching.
Tampa [Bay] has really good outfield defense -- the value they provide is at a premium. There are more plays and more bases that are in play in Colorado.”
And then there’s the pitching, which has been the loudest issue of all.
Adael Amador, who has looked good in his trial at second base, gave Colorado an early lead Sunday with a home run as the second batter of the game. But Hughes could not hold it. After two outs in the first, he gave up a Colt Keith double and a Greene homer, never got his secondary pitches working and was gone after one more inning.
“Part of being a Major League pitcher is recognizing what you have that day and what you don’t, and working to fight through it to get to where you find whatever it is that you are consistently missing -- and getting there quicker,” Hughes said, after falling to 0-8 in his first 12 Major League starts.
Hughes wasn’t alone in the struggle. Tanner Gordon lasted just four innings on Saturday, and Byrnes said both pitchers have been hurt by the same early-game issues: trouble getting through the first and second innings, and trouble finishing hitters when they get to two strikes.
Colorado has been hit hardest early, with the club leading the Majors in runs allowed in each of the first four innings. The third time through the order has also been a problem, with a 6.13 ERA that ranks ahead of only the Athletics’ 6.25.
“We’ve gotten bitten most in the first and second innings -- we give up way too many runs,” said Byrnes, whose team actually leads the Majors in runs yielded in each of the first four innings. “And the third time through the order, we give up way too many runs [6.13 ERA, ahead of only the Athletics’ 6.25]. So that is in our face.”
Byrnes said the answer has to come from multiple directions: growth from Hughes, Mason Adams and Gordon, plus the possibility of bringing in more experienced pitchers who can make a real difference. He also said the front office is looking at relief staff models that can help starters.
Asked how the Rockies move forward, manager Warren Schaeffer kept the focus on effort and said the team is in a tough stretch, not a lost cause.
Byrnes said Schaeffer has handled the job with flexibility, whether by leaning into matchups during better stretches or changing bullpen usage after Jordan Romano arrived and the late innings became less matchup-driven. He also said Schaeffer keeps the room positive without lowering the standard.
“He sets a great tone, demands a lot of the players - we’re trying to build winning habits and standards of winning,” Byrnes said. “Even though we’re not winning enough.”
In Other News...
Rockies Losing Streak Just Got More Concerning With Hunter Goodman
The Rockies skid has stretched to eight straight after another frustrating one-run loss, this time an 8-7 defeat to the Padres that kept the margin for error razor thin. It was the kind of game Colorado has been living too often lately, with enough offense to stay close but not enough to turn the night around.
Hunter Goodmans thumb injury only added to the unease. The catcher was hurt sliding into third base and had to leave the game, leaving his availability for the next stretch up in the air until further medical evaluation is done, which is the last thing a struggling roster needs right now. [Read more 🡒]
Rockies Prospect Just Earned Recognition Colorado Fans Should Notice
Minor League Baseballs end-of-season honors brought a fresh reminder of how much talent is still moving through the Rockies system, with the latest awards spread across the California, Carolina and Florida State Leagues. The group of honorees includes Easton Shelton, Cooper Flemming and Echedry Vargas as league MVPs, along with Brady Parker and Cremarosa as Pitcher of the Year winners, and several players also landing Top MLB Prospect recognition.
For Colorado fans, those lists matter because they help frame which young players are starting to separate themselves from the pack before they ever reach Denver. Prospect recognition is still only a snapshot of a players progress, but it is the kind that often signals who is gaining real traction in the organization and who may be forcing the Rockies to pay closer attention going forward. [Read more 🡒]
Rockies Farm System Finally Has A Hartford Story Fans Should Notice
For a Rockies farm system that has taken its share of criticism over the years, Hartford has become a welcome bright spot. The Double-A club has outperformed its Opening Day expectations and is in the middle of a playoff push, but the more important story for Colorado is the development happening up and down the roster. Rockies senior player development director Chris Forbes has pointed to meaningful strides in hitting, base stealing and pitching, the kind of across-the-board progress the organization has been looking for from one of its key affiliates.
Robinson Cancels hand in it matters too. The Hartford manager has built a reputation for teaching and communication, and that seems to be showing up in the way players are performing and growing within the system. For the Rockies, the intrigue is not just that Hartford is winning right now, but that several players are doing more than filling innings and at-bats, they are changing the conversation about what this part of the pipeline can produce. [Read more 🡒]