The Rockies are headed into their final homestand against the Arizona Diamondbacks, and the pitching plan says plenty about where things stand. Colorado may be staring at another 100-loss season, but the club has at least been better than it was a year ago, when it finished 43-119 in 2025. This season, the Rockies are 57-99, still far from where they want to be, but improved from one of the roughest years in franchise history.
For Kyle Freeland, the opener carries extra weight. The Colorado native and longest-tenured Rockie is slated to start game one, and it could be his final home outing in a Rockies uniform at Coors Field.
Freeland is set to reach free agency after the 2026 season, which leaves the front office with a decision to make. His career 4.71 ERA entering Tuesday is not pretty, and his 6.38 ERA this season has not helped his case, but his place in the franchise’s story still looms large.
Game two is expected to go to Mason Adams, who is still trying to build a case for a long-term role in the rotation. His career has started slowly, but the Rockies have seen enough flashes to believe there may be something there for the pitching staff to shape.
September has been rough, though, with Adams carrying a 6.43 ERA over three starts and 14 innings. The home run problem remains part of the package, and the next step is obvious: better command.
The series finale is projected to belong to Tanner Gordon, who is trying to finish his third big league season with his strongest numbers yet. Gordon’s 6.01 ERA is still high, but it is also his best mark in three years in the majors, and he has crossed the 100-inning threshold this season.
Even so, September has hit him hard. He’s posted a 12.34 ERA in three starts this month, and if he wants to make a real push for a spot next season, the stretch between now and spring training has to look a lot different.
In Other News...
Rockies Now Have Another Rotation Tension To Sort Out This Offseason
The Rockies latest loss of momentum has only sharpened the questions facing the club as the season winds down, and the rotation is now part of that broader offseason picture. Colorado is staring at a fourth straight 100-loss season, and with the 2026 campaign nearing its finish, the front office will soon be sorting through free agents, future roles and how much stability it can actually count on in the staff.
Tomoyuki Sugano added another wrinkle to that conversation after being lifted following five innings against the Mariners, a move he said left him surprised and frustrated because he believed he could have kept going. For a team already trying to separate short-term innings management from longer-term rotation plans, even one midgame decision can echo beyond a single start, especially when the organization is trying to decide what kind of pitching structure it wants to carry into next year. [Read more 🡒]
Kyle Freeland Faces A Painful Rockies Possibility At Coors Field
Kyle Freeland is set to take the ball at Coors Field against the Diamondbacks with a familiar kind of pressure hanging over the outing. The left-hander is in the final season of his five-year contract, and his year has been shaped as much by health and inconsistency as by the usual demands of pitching in Denver. He is also coming back from a neck injury suffered in August, another reminder that nothing about this stretch has been easy.
The broader issue for the Rockies is even harder to ignore: they have to decide whether Freeland fits into next seasons plans. His 4-10 record and 6.38 ERA reflect how rough the year has been, and his $17 million player option will not vest because he has not reached the required workload. What happens next is the sort of call that can define an offseason for a club trying to sort out both its rotation and its direction. [Read more 🡒]
Rockies Face One Offseason Choice Fans Have Seen Too Often
The Rockies have shown a little more life lately, but the bigger picture still points to a club that is a long way from contending in 2027. With guaranteed money on the books, a group of arbitration-eligible players to sort through and a recent trade history shaped by president Paul DePodesta, the organization is again staring at the same winter question that has lingered for years: whether to keep trying to patch around the margins or finally lean into meaningful roster change.
Colorado already passed on moving some players at the deadline even with trade chatter swirling around them, which only sharpened the focus on what comes next. This offseason looks like the next real test of how aggressive the Rockies are willing to be, and whether they are prepared to make the kind of decisions that can reshape a roster rather than simply preserve it. [Read more 🡒]