Pitching at Coors Field is a Rubik’s Cube.
The standard cube features 43 quintillion possible permutations. That might be how many options president Paul DePodesta considers to help the rotation reach a solved state.
The Rockies improved, but pitching stands in the way of real progress. The starters posted an ERA of nearly 7.00 after the trade deadline, and none posted a win over the final 29 games.
DePodesta experimented by adding two free-agent veterans, Tomoyuki Sugano and Michael Lorenzen, and letting coach Alon Leichman call the pitches from the dugout. Sugano worked out, but Lorenzen failed spectacularly, and not having the catchers call the game proved a mistake.
DePodesta is determined not to let a bad outcome go to waste. He learned that if the Rockies are going to experiment, there must be more discussion ahead of time to put the coaches and players in a better position to succeed.
But perhaps most salient, he walked away from the 2026 season understanding the importance of mindset. He evoked a name from the past.
“I have talked to Pedro Astacio about pitching here, and succeeding,” DePodesta told The Post. “He stressed the importance of pitching one more out than the other starting pitcher.”
The statistics show the Rockies’ chances of winning increase dramatically when this happens. And it rarely did last season when the Rockies were pummeled in the first two innings. Colorado must add a couple of starters willing to embrace the challenge. Pitchers with grit and selective amnesia.
And here’s the other thing. When the Rockies demand this approach, putting ERA aside for the good of the team, they must pay young starters in arbitration for outlasting their counterparts.
Of course it is not this easy. The Rockies are likely to eschew a traditional five-man staff, using openers and bulk-inning relievers.
Colorado was at its best when Chase Dollander and Jose Quintana were healthy. Their injuries exposed a lack of depth.
And look for the Rockies to add more help through advance scouting reports, possibly with a new position. The Rockies were not good at adapting in-game, and that must improve to help the pitchers take a step forward.
Colorado has a decent core of young hitters. But the Rockies are going nowhere without solving the equation of the rotation.
Goal avalanche: The Avs boast 23 goals through four games, the most since Wayne Gretzky’s Los Angeles Kings in the 1993-94 season. The scoring explosion is admirable, but not surprising. This is who the Avs are. To make us believe this season is different, they need to win a handful of 2-1, 1-0 games before the playoffs.
Put a Cap in it: There is hope that an MLB lockout will not cost games. Perhaps a luxury tax can function as a soft cap while a floor is introduced. The MLBPA has to be privately thrilled about the postseason, given the payrolls of the remaining teams: Dodgers (first), Brewers (19), White Sox (27), Rays (28) and Guardians (29). Are we sure a cap is needed? The playoffs are proof of competence, good scouting and style of play that leans more on fundamentals than home runs.
Mental Health: ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith embarrassed himself by making light of Lane Johnson’s retirement for mental health reasons, saying, “Life is a little bit too short. I need to focus — what did he say? His mental health? Am I making it up? Did he say that?” said Smith. When will Smith learn the lesson to talk like a human and focus less on a punch line when discussing serious subjects? He apologized. Then he apologized for his apology. Johnson should be applauded for being open about his struggles. He nearly stepped away in 2021 from the Eagles after cycling off anti-depression medication. It seems pointless given the importance of “First Take” going viral, but Smith must be better. Frankly, he should have been suspended. It is 2026. There is no excuse for not having a better understanding of mental health issues.
