Rockies Will Lose 100 Games This Season

Rockies 2, Reds 7

Just to clarify, I am not at all rooting for the Rockies to lose 100 games. If that happens, you can count me among the saddest about it. I don’t think losing 100 is something that will change the ownership’s or the front office’s approach. If it was, they’d already be changing it, because a .370 winning percentage 2/3 of the way through the season is definitely something to react to. It’s not like they think things are going great and their eyes will only open when the team crosses that 100-loss threshold. So, there is nothing good about losing 100, especially for the first time in franchise history. But as of now, I am officially predicting it. This team is so, so very bad. They are just about the worst thing I’ve ever seen, and I lived in the same city as the Mets for six years.

Today’s game featured two former National League West opponents, Jonathan Sanchez and Mat Latos. Only one of them looked like his former NL West self, and if you guessed Latos, you’re right. He went a full 8 innings, something the Rockies aren’t even allowed to do anymore, and he only gave up 2 runs on 4 hits. Both runs scored in the 1st when Dexter Fowler walked and Josh Rutledge, swinging ill-advisedly at a first-pitch cutter, nevertheless belted his second homer of the season, and of his career. After that, I saw exactly one good swing, and that was Carlos Gonzalez‘s double in the 6th. Of course he led off, and one would hope that a runner in scoring position and no outs would result in a run, but if one did hope for that, one would have some delusions about the abilities of the 2012 Rockies to do good baseball things.

In the meantime, Sanchez was not looking anything like he did as a Giant, instead looking very much like the quintessential Colorado Rockies pitcher. If we need further proof that this team destroys pitchers, all that’s necessary is for us to look at Sanchez. Granted, he was pretty destroyed before he ever came here, but that’s not the point. The point is that time will no doubt reveal that we have actually made him worse. He threw 13 balls in the 1st inning alone. 13. By some miracle, that only resulted in 2 walks and 1 run. Two starts is enough to make me believe that Sanchez no longer has “it,” however much of “it” he once had. He has won one game so far this season, when he was with the Royals, and I fear that will be the only one. Could he pull a Jorge De La Rosa and come back to win his next 16 starts? Maybe if he was allowed to pitch through the 5th inning, ever. And maybe if he was also Jorge De La Rosa.

Carlos Torres has been very impressive since his most recent call-up, though I’ll admit it took me this long to notice. That’s partially because he was not good in his first call-up, and partially because the game is so rarely still up for grabs by the time he comes into it that his performance really doesn’t matter much. But he came in during the 5th, after Sanchez had surrendered 3 runs on 2 homers, and struck out both Todd Frazier and Chris Heisey to end the inning. Then he pitched 2 more innings and struck out 3 more, only allowing 1 hit in his entire outing. That’s a quality relief appearance. It’s too bad the game was too far out of reach for it to make a difference.

Mike Ekstrom gets half a point for this game, because he did give up a double and an RBI single in the 8th, but then he managed to get around a bad throw by Rutledge and strike out Zack Cozart with two runners in scoring position to end the threat. Also not important since the score was already 7-2, but still commendable.

Does this look like a team that will lose 100 games? You tell me. They’re on pace to lose 102.

Thank goodness for off-days. The Rockies get one tomorrow and so do you. The homestand resumes with a 3-game series against the Cardinals on Tuesday.