DENVER -- Rockies right-handed starting pitcher Tanner Gordon took an hour-plus to get 10 outs -- with 10 runs and 12 hits against him. The Rockies’ offense made it exciting, but Gordon wasn’t fooled by the 12-8 loss to the Diamondbacks at Coors Field in the 2026 home finale.
The Rockies, who trailed 12-1 in the sixth inning, received home runs from Kyle Karros, Cole Carrigg and Zac Veen. But none of that wiped away the true problem. Gordon’s performance personified the Rockies’ poor starting pitching, which is culprit No. 1 for a team that has lost 102 games.
“I was struggling with location, then when I was in the zone I was giving [up] too much [over the] heart of the plate -- just unacceptable,” Gordon said.
In some cases, such as reducing the run differential from last year’s minus-424 overall and minus-211 at home to minus-188 overall and minus-98 at home, respectively, celebrating would be dad-gumming with faint praise. Other improvements with the offense represent real progress. This was a 17-hit performance that represented a far better offense than the one that was also a problem during last year’s 43-119 finish.
“An important thing to note is you can’t win games without being in games, and we took a massive step forward in that direction this season,” said Karros, whose homer was his 13th of his first full season.
But this 7-28 stretch -- which can be largely blamed on starting pitching -- can’t be erased by looking at overall positives. Here is a smattering of categories in which the Rockies entered Thursday worst in the Majors:
- 6.28 ERA overall
- 6.64 ERA at home
- .303 opponents' batting average
- .308 opponents' batting average at home
Dramatic improvement could lead to a quantum leap for the Rockies. As the numbers are, they merely kept the Rockies in triple digits in losses for the fourth straight season.
Regardless, there are screaming questions regarding starting pitching for president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta and general manager Josh Byrnes, who have been evaluating all aspects of the club during their first year in charge.
Indications are the Rockies plan to be immediately aggressive in seeking starters in free agency and the trade market this offseason. No reason not to, given the rotation’s 2026 performance. But with trades needing a partner and top-level, mid-career pitchers often wanting to avoid Denver’s altitude, there are no guarantees.
But manager Warren Schaeffer has seen spots of performance that tell him some pitchers with limited service time can be part of the solution. It’s hard to work around starts like what Gordon turned in on Thursday.
Schaeffer is willing to work with what he has. Schaeffer added that right-hander Mason Adams, a Deadline acquisition from the White Sox, has stood out in several of his six starts (0-2, 4.03 ERA), and fellow rookie Gabriel Hughes and Gordon in spurts have been good.
The Rockies are trying a new approach with righty Ryan Feltner, who had mixed results in the rotation but has a 0.75 ERA in 12 innings over three games as a piggyback -- a starter-type who follows another starter.
Creativity didn’t lead to success this year.
By signing Michael Lorenzen, Jose Quintana and Tomoyuki Sugano to join Kyle Freeland, the Rockies tried a veteran rotation.
“We brought in Michael Lorenzen for all the right reasons -- a veteran pitcher that’s strong, that can withstand a season specifically at altitude with his body, with six pitches as Paul was talking about for a long time,” Schaeffer said. “It just didn’t work out well. It’s based on the individual.
“[Quintana] I think he would have had a good year if he would have stayed healthy, and he’s got a different skill set than Michael’s. Sugano had a really good year for us. It’s based on the individual.”
The plan of having pitching coach Alon Leichman signal pitches from the dugout also was abandoned, although Schaeffer said the spirit was correct because “we have been so bad in previous years doing the normal.”
When the Rockies last made the postseason in 2017 and ‘18 under Bud Black, they benefited from a heavy-innings load with a strong, young rotation that included Freeland (a free agent at season’s end).
But now, only Chase Dollander, who in 2027 will be coming off internal brace surgery on his right elbow, is the only current Rockies starter who looks to be a workhorse like Freeland, Germán Márquez, Antonio Senzatela, Jon Gray and Tyler Anderson were in the past. So avoiding a third time through the order and possibly constructing a bullpen that can cover innings starters usually handle are strategies.
“We have the personnel we have, so you have to construct a strategy and a training regimen in the offseason to better the personnel we have,” Schaeffer said. “There’s a lot of guys that can help us win. It’s just using them in the right way.”