PITTSBURGH -- On Friday afternoon, hours before a victory over the Pirates sparked hopes -- which were dashed the next two days -- Rockies general manager Bill Schmidt gave reasons his struggling club hasn’t met its expectations, or even the low public forecasts.

“We’re not performing -- we’re not hitting, bottom line,” Schmidt said. “We’ve been in the majority of our games. I haven’t looked, but what’s [been] the score in the fifth inning [in each game]? We’ve been relatively close.”

The series ended with a 5-3 loss on Sunday afternoon at PNC Park, meaning Colorado has dropped 10 series with one split this season. Saturday’s 1-0 walk-off loss left the Rockies still looking for their first consecutive wins of ‘24.

So where is all this headed?

On Sunday, Jacob Stallings and Sean Bouchard hit back-to-back homers, but Colorado didn't score any further. Ryan Feltner was effective early, but gave up five runs, including four in the sixth.

Ryan McMahon, after an eighth-inning leadoff walk, froze and was picked off by Aroldis Chapman. After Bouchard’s ninth-inning, two-out double, pinch-hitter Jake Cave was left staring at a David Bednar curve on the outside corner.

McMahon and Cave unwittingly offered illustrations of a club that wants to turn the corner, but looks frozen.

No one expected the Rockies to be this poor, ace Kyle Freeland (left elbow) is on the injured list, as is veteran Kris Bryant (back), who has spent much of his time there since signing for seven years and $182 million in 2022.

Expected closer Daniel Bard will miss the season with a right elbow injury. Lefty reliever Lucas Gilbreath’s return from Tommy John surgery is delayed because of left shoulder pain.

Charlie Blackmon, 37, is struggling with a .212 average as a rotational player. At the other end of the age scale, hitting struggles and a current back injury have hampered 2023 rookie star Nolan Jones.

The aforementioned misery doesn’t take into account Germán Márquez's and Antonio Senzatela's continued recoveries from Tommy John surgery.

If 2024 is seen as a milepost on a long trip to contending status, why is the going so bumpy?

The Rockies self-identify as a draft-and-develop organization. The 1995 postseason trip was built largely through free agency, the expansion draft and trades, but the next four postseason teams featured mostly drafted position players. The ‘17 and ‘18 pitching rotation members all made their MLB debuts with Colorado.

Trying to recreate this has been a lengthy slog.

In the current lineup, McMahon (second round, 2013) has broken through as a key lineup piece and second baseman Brendan Rodgers (first round, ‘15) is trying to find consistency. But development products are finding their way -- and can’t lean on the injured Bryant and struggling Blackmon.

How about the first part of draft-and-develop?

The injured Freeland (‘14) and Jordan Beck (‘22, called up this week) are the only first-rounders beside Rodgers. Colorado Draft picks on the current roster fall mainly into the categories of solid players and guys becoming Major Leaguers, but not stars.

Injury and struggle rates at the top of recent Drafts, which tend to be pitching-heavy, have set the operation back.

Gabriel Hughes (first round, ‘22), Jackson Cox (second, ‘22), Chris McMahon (second, ‘20), Sam Weatherly (third, ‘20), Case Williams (fourth, ‘20), McCade Brown (third, ‘21) and Ryan Rolison (first, ‘18) all are recovering from surgeries within the last season, rehabbing or starting comebacks in the Minors. Injuries forced Robert Tyler (1st, ‘16) and Mike Nikorak (first, ‘15) from the game before they could make the Majors.

“That’s the downside -- guys get hurt,” Schmidt said.

The Rockies hope Beck (MLB's No. 72 overall prospect) is the start of position player production, which has been lacking from the Draft. Infielder Adael Amador (24), Chase Dollander (46) and Yanquiel Fernandez (64) hold Top 100 spots, and pitchers Carson Palmquist (Double-A Hartford) and Sean Sullivan (High-A Spokane) are performing well enough to have fans anticipating their arrivals.

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Schmidt expects experience to lead to better offense from the current club, as earlier clubs that eventually won. And he noted that once the pitching on hand is healthier next season (Hughes, Cox and Dominican Republic signing Jordy Vargas won’t return from Tommy John surgeries until after the regular season), depth will increase.

Stallings, who saw development over 2022-23 with the Marlins, saw how quickly a club can turn things around.

“My first year, we lost a lot of close games, and then the next year, we won a lot of close games,” Stallings said. “Sometimes all it takes is getting the confidence that we’re going to win. We’re fighting it right now.”