NEW YORK – Before Thursday night’s game against the Yankees, Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer said he wanted to see his team finish the season strong and carry that momentum into the 2027 campaign.
Colorado got off to a slow start after Schaeffer made that statement as New York won big, 10-3, and swept the three-game series. It marked the 11th time the Rockies were swept this season.
Rockies right-hander Ryan Feltner was hit hard during the first two innings as he allowed four runs on five hits. In the first frame, Luis García Jr. hit a 1-2 changeup out to center field for a two-run blast.
The ironic part is that the first five hitters that Feltner faced in the first were behind in the count 0-2 or 1-2. George Lombard Jr. swung at the first pitch he saw and grounded into a forceout to end the frame.
“Feltner just couldn’t put them away. The kill pitches he tried to throw – he had a fastball up. The offspeed pitch, he didn’t get it down enough. He paid for it,” Schaeffer said. “In the second inning, he got behind and another two [runs scored].”
After allowing an RBI single to Anthony Volpe in the second, Feltner retired 12 of the next 13 hitters he faced. The fastball command was better, and Feltner gave Colorado five innings.
“I was a little more aggressive during the second half [of my game],” Feltner said. “There is a little bit of feeling out early. I’m trying to figure out what they are trying to do – what their game plan was. In the second half, it was more attack mode.”
Yes, Colorado fell to 55-91 on the season, but compared to last season when it lost 119 games, 2026 is an improvement. Remember, the Rockies lost their 100th game last year on Sept. 2.
Their offense is better. In fact, entering Friday’s game against the Tigers, the Rockies rank fifth in the Majors in batting average (.252) Last year, they ranked 23rd in that category (.237).
Without question, the team needs to improve its pitching (30th with a 5.50 ERA), but maybe some offseason moves can help fix that problem.
The Rockies are a young team. Their position players average 26.6 years old, tied for the sixth-youngest group in the Majors. But don’t mention the phrase “lack of experience” to Schaeffer as the reason Colorado is having another losing season.
“Momentum is a real thing, and we have some momentum this year in terms of playing better overall. And it would be great to finish strong to carry that into next year,” Schaeffer said. “The way we prepare has been better. The way we make decisions has been better. I could go on and on. There has been a ton of progress for us.”
The Rockies are a team that doesn’t give up easily, either. In the ninth, they had the bases loaded with no outs against right-hander Luis Gil, but they couldn’t push a run across.
“We don’t ever quit. That is never a question,” Schaeffer said. “These guys play hard. It wasn’t enough tonight or for this series. We’re back at it tomorrow against Detroit.”