Rockies' Final-Stretch Fight: Avoiding 100 Losses With a Rotation in Shambles

The Colorado Rockies arrived at Nationals Park on Wednesday carrying the kind of number no organization wants to see: 81 losses. At 51-81 with 30 games remaining, the club needs 13 more wins to dodge the dreaded 100-loss mark — a target that felt unreachable during a seven-game losing streak that bottomed out with a 13-3 shellacking in Washington and eight straight home defeats at Coors Field.

Then, on Tuesday, the Rockies let the dogs out. A 3-1 win over the Nationals snapped the skid, with Hunter Goodman — recently returned from the injured list — delivering the decisive power. It was a small reminder that even in a lost season there are individual storylines worth tracking, and that this offense can still scratch out a victory.

But the defining story of the week isn't a single win. It's the state of a starting rotation that has been systematically gutted by injury and attrition.

A Staff Held Together With Tape

The Rockies' pitching depth has reached crisis levels. Jose Quintana, Chase Dollander, Pierson Ohl, McCade Brown and Welinton Herrera all remain on the 60-day injured list, while Kyle Freeland, Sean Sullivan, Jeff Criswell and Blas Castaño sit on the 15-day IL. That's nine unavailable arms — before accounting for Kris Bryant's season on the shelf and Kyle Karros and Tyler Freeman joining him in the training room.

On Monday, the club designated veteran Michael Lorenzen for assignment, effectively saying goodbye to another experienced arm. The result is a rotation that is auditioning more than it is competing. Tanner Gordon takes the ball Wednesday, still searching for his first win of 2026 at 0-4 with a 5.75 ERA. The Rockies have reportedly been exploring reinforcements, including a potential promotion for Mark Manfredi, as they cycle through options looking for any stability.

The numbers make the problem plain. Colorado owns the worst team ERA in this matchup at 5.55, and the last 10 games have been even uglier — a 7.39 ERA with a 1.644 WHIP. The bullpen hasn't been a safety net either, carrying a 4.57 ERA into the series. The team's 1.54 WHIP reflects a pitching group that is constantly under pressure.

What the Final Month Means

With 13 wins needed in the last 30 games to avoid 100 losses, every series now carries a different kind of weight. The matchup against Washington is particularly interesting: the Nationals, at 62-72, have been described as free-falling in recent weeks yet still score 5.19 runs per game. But they've been far worse at home (28-37 at Nationals Park) than on the road, which gives Colorado a genuine opening in this four-game set.

For a front office committed to a rebuild, the final month is less about the win column than about answers. Can Gordon and the other auditioning arms show they belong in the long-term picture? Can the youngsters continue the offensive improvement that has been a rare bright spot — the team has been more competitive at the plate since June 1?

The margin for error is thin. At .386, the Rockies are the worst team in the National League, and their minus-144 run differential reflects a club that has been outscored by 144 runs this season. Tuesday's win was a reprieve, not a turnaround. But with a winnable series in front of them, and reinforcements like Goodman back in the lineup, Colorado still controls its own fate in the race to avoid infamy.

For fans who have endured years of losing, that's a small, quiet stake — but it's all that's left, and it's still worth watching.