June 29th 2024.
In a fitting conclusion to a historically terrible first half of the season, the Colorado Rockies were defeated by the worst team in baseball. The team at the bottom of the National League standings fell 5-3 to the American League's bottom-dweller, the White Sox, in the first game of their series on Friday at Guaranteed Rate Field.
Even with home runs from Brenton Doyle and Michael Toglia, the Rockies were unable to overcome the White Sox's offense, led by Dakota Hudson's five earned runs given up in five innings. Things fell apart in the sixth inning, and the Rockies only managed to get three hits.
Looking back at the first half of the season, it's clear that the Rockies have had a rough go of it. They are currently on track to lose 108 games, which would surpass last season's franchise-worst record of 103 losses. With a .333 winning percentage, the Rockies have set a new club record for the lowest first-half winning percentage, surpassing the 1993 and 2005 teams that were 28-53.
The Rockies have been playing with infamy this season, as evidenced by their opening day loss to the Diamondbacks where they were blown out 16-1. The Diamondbacks scored 14 runs on 13 hits in a never-ending third inning, setting records for the most runs and hits in a single frame in franchise history. This loss set the tone for the rest of the first half, as the Rockies were never able to get close to a .500 record.
In fact, the Rockies trailed in all 31 of their first games, breaking the Modern Era record set by the 1910 St. Louis Browns for the longest losing streak to start a season. While they were able to break this streak on May 3 in Pittsburgh, it took them another week to finally win two games in a row. This ended a 51-game streak without back-to-back victories, setting franchise lows in both 2023 and 2024.
Despite finally winning their first series on the 13th try, the Rockies continued to struggle through June, making their seven-game winning streak in May feel like a distant memory. They currently have a 6-19 record for the month, the worst in the National League, and have allowed an MLB-high 168 runs.
Throughout this disastrous first half, the Rockies have been dominated by opposing starting pitchers, such as Jose Berrios, Ranger Suarez, Luis Castillo, Dylan Cease, and Jared Jones. Their offense has been streaky at best, while their pitching has been abysmal. The team currently holds the worst overall ERA, starting ERA, and bullpen ERA in the MLB, with a .289 opponent average.
To make matters worse, the Rockies have also been hit hard by injuries this season. While they were not expected to have a great year, their lack of depth has been exposed with multiple key players being sidelined. The loss of reliever Daniel Bard before the start of spring training has been a major blow, and he recently underwent season-ending elbow surgery. However, the biggest injury storyline has been the continued absence of Kris Bryant. In the midst of a disappointing season, Bryant has missed 31 games with a low back strain and is currently sidelined with a left rib contusion and oblique strain. This has been a major setback for the Rockies, as Bryant signed a seven-year, $182 million contract and has not been able to produce at the level expected.
Overall, it has been a rough first half for the Rockies, with injuries and poor performances contributing to their struggles. However, they still have half a season left to turn things around and make improvements. Hopefully, the second half will bring better luck and results for the Colorado team.
In a fitting end to a historically bad first half, the Colorado Rockies suffered a loss to the worst team in baseball. It was a tough way to close out a rough 81 games, as they fell 5-3 to the American League's underdog, the Chicago White Sox, in the series opener at Guaranteed Rate Field on Friday.
Despite home runs from both Brenton Doyle and Michael Toglia, the Rockies were unable to overcome the White Sox's strong performance, with pitcher Dakota Hudson giving up five earned runs in just five innings. The team only managed to muster three hits throughout the game, adding to their already disappointing record.
Looking back at the first half of the season, it's clear that the Rockies have been struggling. With a current pace that would result in 108 losses, they are on track to surpass last season's franchise-worst record of 103 losses. Their current winning percentage of .333 is also a new low for the team, surpassing the previous record set by the 1993 and 2005 teams.
It's been a tough road for the Rockies, with numerous unfortunate events and poor performances leading to their current standing. Even from the start, things seemed to be going wrong. On opening day, they were dealt a devastating loss of 16-1 by the Arizona Diamondbacks, marking their worst season-opening defeat in the history of the club.
The Diamondbacks' 14 runs in the third inning of that game were also the most runs scored in a single inning by any team in franchise history. This was just the beginning of a string of losses that would prevent the Rockies from ever reaching a .500 record in the first half of the season.
The struggles continued, with the team trailing in the first 31 games of the season. This surpassed the previous record set by the 1910 St. Louis Browns for the longest such streak to start a season in the Modern Era. Even after breaking this streak on May 3 in a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, it took another week for the Rockies to secure two consecutive wins. This marked the end of a 51-game streak without back-to-back victories, the longest in franchise history.
Despite finally winning their first series on their 13th try, the Rockies were unable to maintain any momentum and soon found themselves on a downward spiral. The month of June has been particularly difficult, with the team holding a record of 6-19 and allowing 168 runs, the most in the entire league.
The month has also seen two additional losses due to disastrous ninth innings against the Cincinnati Reds and Los Angeles Dodgers, setting yet another Modern Era record for the most instances of a team losing a lead in the ninth inning. As the first half of the season comes to a close, the Rockies have been dominated by opposing starting pitchers, with a number of notable players such as Jose Berrios, Ranger Suarez, Luis Castillo, Dylan Cease, and Jared Jones proving to be particularly difficult for the team to defeat.
The Rockies' struggles have also been compounded by a series of injuries, revealing their lack of depth. It began with pitcher Daniel Bard's knee injury just before the start of spring training, which ultimately led to season-ending elbow surgery in April. However, this was just the beginning, as star player Kris Bryant has also been plagued by injuries throughout the year.
Although Bryant has not performed as well as expected, with a batting average of .186 and only two home runs this season, his absence has been a major blow to the Rockies. He has already missed 31 games due to a low back strain and is currently out of action for another 22 games due to a left rib contusion and oblique strain. The team has also had to deal with other significant injuries, making their already difficult season even more challenging.
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