Injuries have taken Colorado's starting pitching from bad to much, much worse

For the second straight season, the Colorado Rockies’ starting pitchers are really struggling. And for the second year in a row, injuries are at least in part to blame.

It’s no secret that the Rockies have really struggled on the mound. No Rockies’ starter has won more then two games, and several are still winless. The Rockies have the worst team ERA in Major League Baseball and are lagging way behind in strikeouts per nine innings.

In other words, things on the mound in Colorado are not good.

Of course, injuries have been a big part of the Rockies’ struggles in 2025, and starting pitching has been hit hard.

Colorado lost Austin Gomber before the season even started, and originally, they were considering a four-man rotation. But, instead, the Rockies made the call to bring up rookie phenom Chase Dollander, and for a 23-year-old, Dollander has done quite well. 

But, in the midst of all the struggles, the Rockies lost steady starter Ryan Feltner to back spasms in late April, so rookies Carson Palmquist and Bradley Blalock have been given chances to fill that role. To date, the duo is 0-4 in starts since Feltner went down.

Feltner, who has pitched well this season, is expected back soon though. After his May 22 bullpen session, Feltner declared himself healthy enough to go to Triple-A Albuquerque for a two-start injury rehab assignment on Sunday and again on May 29.

With Feltner out, the Rockies have lost two of their five opening day rotation pitchers, and now, they’ve lost Dollander, too. After his last start, Dollander had some inflammation in his pitching forearm, and was scratched from his most recent two starts. In his place, Tanner Gordon has pitched decently, but, it’s not the same as Dollander, who has a pair of wins and a near no-hitter to his credit. 

The Rockies have given no timetable on Dollander’s return, and it’s obvious, they’ll be super careful with their future ace. 

So, now Colorado is down three starters from the beginning of the season, and it’s no wonder the Rockies are a mess on the mound. 

Now, no-one knows, maybe it would have been that way even if the Rockies hadn’t had any starting pitcher injuries, but, when you’re as bad as Colorado is, injuries certainly make things worse. And, if the start to this season has shown the Rockies anything, it’s that they need a complete pitching overhaul. 

And with the exception of Dollander, honestly, all options should be on the table from here on out.

https://roxpile.com/pitching-woes-losing-ryan-feltner-to-the-il-weakens-a-struggling-rockies-rotation

https://roxpile.com/rockies-announce-pitching-moves-after-saturday-night-s-disaster-against-the-padres

https://roxpile.com/the-process-hasn-t-prevented-the-colorado-rockies-from-being-historically-bad-in-2025

https://roxpile.com/after-another-sizzling-performance-chase-dollander-gives-the-rockies-plenty-to-think-about