Friday Rockpile: It’s not too soon for the Rockies to go another direction in 2025

Colorado Rockies news and links for Friday, April 10, 2025

Thank you, Ryan Feltner for an impressive start. Thank you, Jake Bird, Scott Alexander and Seth Halvorsen for the collective bullpen stop Rockies fans needed. Thank you, Ryan McMahon, Michael Toglia, Brenton Doyle and Zac Veen for your delightful doubles in the eighth inning to give the Rockies a 7-2 win on Thursday.

After a 17-2 shellacking on Wednesday night and a 2-9 start to the season, the Rockies had to stop the bleeding. Thursday was a short reprieve, capping off a disappointing 2-4 home opening weekend where they were outscored 44-29. The five-run eighth inning offered a glimmer of hope for an otherwise hopeless offense in front of a daytime crowd of 18,593 at Coors Field.

So what happens now?

Will the Rockies be able to ride the momentum of Thursday’s victory and compete in more games moving forward? Or will Colorado crash back down to Earth as they hit the road and have to face the Padres (10-3) and Dodgers (10-4) for three games apiece in the next six days?

After a 3-9 start to the season, two roster changes, an inconsistent lineup and a seemingly absent strategy to improve like the Rockies have demonstrated so far in 2025, many organizations would do something. As Rockies fans know all too well, what would usually be moments of reckoning or reflection often end up resulting in no changes. Instead, the team opts to stay the tried-and-failed course.

This attitude is evident in some of manager Bud Black’s latest comments, which appeared in a CBSSports.com article, before Wednesday’s meltdown against the Brewers.

“We have a number of guys not swinging the bat,” manager Bud Black said. “Collectively, it’s not a good thing going on right now. Hopefully, we snap out of it at some point.”

That’s the plan. Hopefully, get better “at some point.” Maybe Thursday’s win was the “snap-out-of-it” moment. Maybe the Rockies will catch fire and sweep the Padres and Dodgers, move to 9-9, record one of the best road trips in the organization’s history, and we’ll all feel much more optimistic about the season.

More likely, the Rockies could go 2-4 on this next road trip, and that would be somewhat of a success. If they do better, it will be amazing. Considering the All-Star casts in San Diego and Los Angeles, it’s fair to hope the Rockies come back to Colorado with a 5-13 record. Worse case scenario, the Rockies fall to 3-15.

If that’s the case, when will enough be enough? When will the Rockies hit rock bottom and make an organizational change?

If the Rockies need some inspiration, all they have to do is look at another Denver organization for guidance. In the midst of a four-game losing streak and disagreements on the construction and philosophy of the team, Denver Nuggets president Josh Kroenke decided to fire the general manager, Calvin Booth, and the team’s all-time winning coach, Mike Malone, with only three games remaining in the regular season. I’m not saying whether or not this is the best idea, but the decisive action proved the franchise’s unwillingness to lose. It proved its lack of tolerance to chance missing the postseason. Right or wrong, you have to respect that kind of dedication to winning.

The success of the Nuggets decision will reveal itself in time. Denver may need more pieces before making a legitimate playoff push next season. They know having a legend like Nikola Jokic is a unique situation not to be wasted, so they did something.

The Rockies may not have one of the greatest players in history on their roster, but they do have a core of young talent arriving on their Major League roster. Will they get the development and coaching they need? Will they grow in an environment that accepts losing? Or will they get the chance to be the best players they can be and play in an atmosphere that sets a winning expectation?

Just over 7% into the season, but plowing ahead toward a seventh-consecutive losing season and possibly third-straight 100-plus loss season, it’s not too soon to change the direction of the team in 2025.

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On the Farm

Triple-A: Albuquerque Isotopes 7, Sugar Land Space Cowboys 2

Yanquiel Fernández hit a three-run homer, Sterlin Thompson smacked a two-run homer and Austin Nola added a solo shot to lead the Isotopes over the Space Cowboys on Thursday night.

Carson Palmquist recorded his first win of the season after striking out seven and only giving up one run on three hits and one walk in five innings. Zach Agnos added two scoreless innings and Jaden Hill threw a perfect ninth with two strikeouts to cap off a strong night from the bullpen. Fernández finished the game with three hits, Warming Bernabel added two more and Sam Hilliard chipped in an RBI double.

Double-A: Hartford Yard Goats at Binghamton Rumble Ponies, postponed

Inclement weather postponed Thursday night’s game. The Yard Goats and Rumble Ponies will face off in a doubleheader on Friday.

High-A: Spokane Indians 1, Vancouver Canadians 0

Jared Thomas hit a walk-off single to score Jesus Bugarin and deliver a victory for Spokane on Thursday night. Bulgarin led off the ninth with a double before Thomas connect for his two-out single.

Michael Prosecky got the ball rolling with four scoreless innings, only giving up one hit and two walks while striking out seven. Braxton Hyde added two more goose eggs with two hits and two strikeouts and Davison Palermo and Welinton Herrera each added a scoreless frame. The pitching was so solid, the Indians were able to overcome two errors to shutout the Canadians. Thomas finished the night with three hits, while Bulgarin added two more.

Single-A: Inland Empire 66ers 5, Fresno Grizzlies 1

Center fielder Yeiker Reyes hit a solo home run, but the Grizzlies were held to four hits while committing two errors in their loss on Thursday night. Inland Empire jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second inning when Johan Macias hit a two-run triple, added another RBI double in the fourth and a two-run single in the fifth to go up 5-1. Despite shutting down the 66ers for the rest of the way, Fresno wasn’t able to rally.

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Renck: Ryan McMahon’s speech shows Rockies players care. Too bad owner doesn’t | Denver Post ($)

Trying to do something even if it means stepping up as the next leader in a way that doesn’t suit his style, Ryan McMahon spoke to the team after Wednesday’s deflating loss to try to boost morale and create a spark. Troy Renck isn’t super confident the spark will reach the coaching staff or front office.

Strike 3: Assessing expectations for the Colorado Rockies rookies | Mile High Sports

Mark Knudson gives his take on how to assess the promotions and performances of Chase Dollander and Zac Veen, especially in relation to the expectations surrounding Nolan Jones in 2023.

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