The Rockies didn’t wait around for the trade deadline noise to drown them out. They went out and delivered one of their cleanest weekends of the season, sweeping the Royals and doing it with a mix of milestone moments, power, and a long-awaited complete game from Kyle Freeland.
Freeland, in his 10th season in Colorado, finally finished the job on Sunday. The Colorado native was excellent in his first start of August, earning his third win of the year after firing 115 pitches, striking out a season-high eight and allowing just one run.
Hunter Goodman set the tone earlier in the series and made sure Kansas City spent the rest of the weekend chasing. In Saturday’s 12-6 win, Colorado’s catcher launched two homers and drove in five runs.
Those blasts were his 32nd and 33rd of the season, moving him into a tie with Phillies All-Star Kyle Schwarber for the NL lead. Only Yordan Alvarez of the Astros, with 35, has more.
Goodman’s power binge has reached rare territory, too. His six multi-homer games this season are the most by a National League catcher since Mike Piazza in 1995.
He sat out Sunday’s finale, which naturally sparked some deadline chatter around the league, but manager Warren Schaefer said the day off was simply about rest. The early start time and the heat played into that decision.
The bullpen got its own spotlight in the sweep, with Jordan Romano continuing to settle in as Colorado’s closer. Romano, who has only nine saves this season, now leads two franchises in saves this year.
His four saves with the Angels still lead that club even though he was released in April, and he added his fifth save as a Rockie to help finish off the sweep. He has now appeared in eight games for Colorado and owns a 1.17 ERA in the role, giving the Rockies some much-needed stability at the back end.
The timing of the sweep gave Colorado a little extra shine, too. The Rockies have now climbed out of baseball’s cellar, with the Angels sitting at the bottom of the sport at 43-69, two games worse than Colorado.
There was one more encouraging note from the weekend: the Rockies have already passed last year’s total of 43 wins, and there are still two months left on the schedule. They’re still a long way from contention, but this was the kind of series that makes the season feel like it’s bending in a better direction.
Colorado now turns to a three-game set with the AL-leading Tampa Bay Rays, beginning Monday at 6:40.
In Other News...
Rockies Deadline Decisions Revealed Who Colorado Is Really Building Around
The Rockies used the trade deadline to make a few moves without blowing up the roster, a familiar kind of balancing act for a team still sorting out its long-term direction. One of the notable deals sent Antonio Senzatela to Milwaukee, bringing back prospects Mark Manfredi and Juan Martinez, while Colorado otherwise kept its focus on the younger players it has been trying to develop.
What stood out just as much as the deals the Rockies made was the talent they did not move. Hunter Goodman remained in place, and left-handed reliever Brennan Bernardino also stayed put, a sign that Colorado is still deciding which pieces fit into its next version of the roster. The deadline did not deliver a dramatic reset, but it did offer a clearer look at who the Rockies appear willing to build around. [Read more 🡒]
Jordan Romano May Be The Rockies Bullpen Answer Nobody Saw Coming
Jordan Romano has settled into the back end of the Rockies bullpen far faster than anyone could have expected when he signed a minor-league deal and worked his way back up from Triple-A. The former Blue Jays closer, who was designated for assignment and released by the Angels earlier this season after struggling, has looked far more like the version Colorado hoped it was getting, giving the club a steadier ninth-inning option than it has had for much of the year.
In nine games with the Rockies, Romano has posted a 3.12 ERA and collected five saves, numbers that matter for a team that has spent plenty of time searching for answers on the mound. What makes the turnaround more interesting is how quickly he has gone from roster casualty to late-game fix, leaving Colorado with a bullpen storyline worth watching as the season moves on. [Read more 🡒]
Rockies Have Two Reasons To Make These Final Months Matter
The Rockies spent most of this season staring up from the bottom of the standings, but the final months still carry real weight because the front office has two young pieces worth watching closely. TJ Rumfield has emerged as one of the bright spots, putting himself in the Rookie of the Year conversation by leading National League rookies in several offensive categories and giving Colorado a clearer look at a possible middle-of-the-order bat for the future.
Hunter Goodman adds another layer to the summers importance, even with his contract running through 2029. Colorado will eventually have to sort through the financial path ahead for its catcher, who is set to enter salary arbitration after the 2026 season, and the way he performs from here could shape how aggressively the club plans around him. For a team still trying to turn a rebuild into something more durable, these next few months are about more than the standings. [Read more 🡒]