The Rockies will reach the halfway point on Wednesday afternoon when they play their 81st game of the season. Halfway to exactly what remains a question mark, but there is no question that the team is better and the vibes are markedly different than last year.
“There is definitely a different mentality this season,” All-Star catcher Hunter Goodman said Tuesday before the Rockies hosted the Red Sox at Coors Field. “You can feel it in the clubhouse, and we take that with us to the field. Now, it feels like we can beat anybody, any night.
“Don’t get me wrong, we still want to — need to — win more than we have, and we are not where we want to be, in terms of wins and losses. But this year, there has been a lot better vibe, and much better results. We’re winning games we would have lost last year.”
True enough. The Rockies entered Tuesday night’s game with a 31-48 record, on pace to finish 98-64 with a minus-182 run differential. Not good, certainly, but a quantum leap from last year when the Rockies finished the season with 119 losses and a minus-424 run differential that was by far the worst in major league history.
Six months ago, Goodman, the team’s only All-Star in 2025, spoke bluntly about the state of the team.
“Last year, we had a super young team, me included,” Goodman said during Fan Fest. “I think we had a lot of people (who) were just happy to be here.
“When I first got called up, I was just happy to be here. And you can’t play like that. You’ve got to walk on the field and be like, ‘We’re the best team. I’m the best player on the field.’ You’ve got to walk on the field with a different level of confidence.”
Goodman, whose 21 home runs ranked fifth in the majors entering Tuesday’s play, feels that confidence growing.
“We have a lot of energy, and we’re going out to compete every night,” he said Tuesday. “We didn’t always have that last year.”
Manager Warren Schaeffer was thrilled to hear about Goodman’s comments.
“Absolutely, I’ve felt that vibe,” Schaeffer said. “And I’m glad he said it. It’s their team. It’s his team. (But) that makes me feel good, because I believe it. I’m trying to facilitate that. We set a high standard, and everybody wants to live up to that.”
Tangible evidence of Colorado’s improvement is its ability to win close games, such as its dramatic, 3-2, walk-off victory over the Red Sox on Monday night.
“I think that’s big in the process of becoming a winning team,” Schaeffer said. “Because winning teams win one-run games. The small things always show up in a game, but specifically in one-run games, there are make-or-break difference-makers.
“Whether it’s how you run the bases, how you execute on the mound, how you execute at the plate — situationally. Basically, what it all comes down to is, ‘How do you handle pressure?’ So, in one-run games, it’s about who handles the tough situations better. We have been getting better at that. It’s been good to watch these boys grow.”
Dollander undergoes surgery
Right-hander Chase Dollander underwent internal brace surgery on his right elbow on Monday. Dollander was able to avoid Tommy John surgery, which would have required rebuilding his elbow.
“Everything went well,” Schaeffer said. “Everything seemed to have gone well.”
Dollander was removed from a May 14, 2026, game against the Pirates in the second inning with a sprained ulnar collateral ligament (UCL). Dollander is still looked upon as the future No. 1 pitcher in the rotation.
Depending on the extent of UCL damage, some athletes choose the brace procedure over Tommy John surgery, in part because it allows them to return to the playing field more quickly.
According to a that analyzed 350 athletes who had undergone UCL internal bracing over three years, the average recovery time is seven months. That means anywhere from five to nine months faster than recovery time after Tommy John reconstruction.
