But for the here and now, give Vodnik props for chutzpah.

“That����ap going to be awesome to tell them I faced Shohei Ohtani,” the Rockies’ late-game reliever said. “But for me, hopefully, he says, ‘I got to face Victor Vodnik.'”

Ohtani and are scheduled to open a four-game series against the Rockies at Coors Field on Friday night, weather permitting. If Yankee Stadium was the house that Babe Ruth built, Coors is the house that Ohtani wrecked. In 20 career games there, he’s slashed .387/.452/.773 with seven home runs, including a 476-foot rocket off Austin Gomber on June 18, 2024.

Friday night, fellow Japanese player Tomoyuki Sugano is scheduled to start against the Dodgers. Sugano has faced Ohtani in only one game in the majors, as a starter for Baltimore last season. That was on Sept. 7 when Ohtani connected for his 47th and 48th home runs in his first two at-bats in the Dodgers’  5-2 victory over the Orioles at Camden Yards.

“I don’t have a set game plan going in to face Shohei Ohtani yet,” Sugano told The Post during spring training. “Last year, he hit two home runs off me, so as a Japanese player, I would like to attack him and try to be productive.”

Ohtani won’t pitch during the series in LoDo because he started on Wednesday night in New York against the Mets in Los Angeles’ 8-2 victory. Ohtani dominated, allowing just one run while striking out 10 batters over six innings. The right-hander (who bats left-handed) generated 22 swings and misses. In three starts, his ERA is a sterling 0.50.

Ohtani did not hit on Wednesday because he was still sore from being struck on the back of his right shoulder by a pitch from the Mets’ David Peterson on Monday. However, Ohtani is expected to be the designated hitter vs. the Rockies.

Ohtani, 31, has won four MVP awards in the past five years, all of them unanimously. The two-way player wants another jewel in his glittering crown.

“He wants a Cy Young,” Dodgers backup catcher during spring training. “And you can tell with the way he’s carrying himself here recently.”

So maybe it’s a good thing, for Ohtani, that he’s not starting this time around at Coors Field. Last August, the Rockies hammered him for five runs in four innings. Ohtani gave up career-high-tying nine hits as the Rockies rolled to an 8-3 victory.

That was Ohtani’s first regular-season start at Coors Field, even though he started for the American League in the 2021 All-Star Game, retiring all three batters he faced while going 0 for 2 at the plate in the AL’s 5-2 victory over the National League. Ohtani was pitching for the Angels at the time.

‘You have to be constantly bobbing and weaving’

When Ohtani steps up to the plate at Coors, Colorado’s pitchers know they’d better bring their best stuff. Veteran left-hander Kyle Freeland has seen how the slugger can demolish a pitcher with good intentions but bad execution. Ohtani is 7 for 11 (.636) with two home runs vs. Freeland.

“Every single night, on everybody’s lineup, he’s always circled on the card,” said Freeland, who’s on the injured list with a sore shoulder. “He’s the guy you say, ‘Do not let him be the guy to beat you, just because of what he’s capable of on the offensive side of the ball.’ ”

However, Freeland said a pitcher can’t be afraid to go after Ohtani.

“You don’t want to shy away from him; you definitely still want to attack him,” Freeland continued. “He’s still human, he’s still a baseball player like us, playing at the game’s highest level.”

Right-hander Ryan Feltner, who’s scheduled to start Saturday night’s game, has had success vs. the Dodgers’ star, limiting him to one double in seven at-bats.

“I struck him out on three pitches in L.A. to start the game, so that was cool,” Feltner recalled, looking back to the Dodgers’ 6-2 win over the Rockies on April 15 last season.

But Feltner wasn’t gloating.

“I would like to say he’s just another guy with a bat, but that����ap not true,” Feltner said. “He’s got an incredible ability to cover a lot of different areas of the plate with incredible power. There are really only a few other players who can do that. (Houston’s) Yordan Alverez is another one.

“There are certain guys who can take swings in a part of the zone where they shouldn’t be able to do damage, but they do. You have to be constantly bobbing and weaving with Ohtani.”

Freeland, who knows baseball history, appreciates the challenge of facing the Japanese legend.

“Going up against the very best, the 1% or the 1%, is always fun,” he said. “When you come out on top, it����ap even better. Being able to face a guy like that, and being able to look back years from now and say, ‘I battled against arguably the greatest baseball player we will ever see in our lifetime,’ is pretty cool.”

Vodnik calls Ohtani a “great player,” adding, “The things he’s doing are unbelievable.”

However, the confident Vodnik is not shy about sharing his game plan on dispatching Ohtani.

“First, I have to trust my stuff,” said Vodnik, who has limited experience facing Ohtani  — 2 for 4 with one strikeout and one walk in five plate appearances.

“I know I can beat him up-and-in by throwing changeups,” Vodnik continued. “Or backfoot sliders that are well executed. I don’t see him as any different than anybody else.”

Vodnik’s game plan is to use Ohtani’s strength against him.

“He keeps his barrel in the zone for a very, very long time, and I think that����ap why it����ap good to go in on him,” he said.  “If (the batter’s) going to be doing that, they have got to be ready to turn on that inside pitch. And that’s really hard to do against a guy throwing 100 (mph).

“So I think that once you get him sped up, then you can slow it down and throw the changeup. Or vice versa. You can throw the changeup and speed it up later on. That����ap when it becomes a chess game, right? Also, I know that the last outing I faced him, I punched him out with a changeup. So maybe it’s in the back of his mind, maybe it����ap not. We’ll see.”

Does Vodnik’s red warning light go on when Ohtani steps up to the plate?

“No, for me it’s more so about my always having the same mentality,’ Vodnik said. “I’m attacking you no matter who you are. That����ap just how I am. I have always been that way.

“Obviously, I study my reports, and I know their weaknesses and my strengths. For me, vs. Ohtani, it’s a good matchup. I like it.”

If there’s a lesson from Kris Bryant’s time — or lack thereof — with the Rockies, it’s that.

As we celebrate the return of another blessed baseball season, the diamond wonks on the Grading The Week team wanted to clarify a few things to the Cubs fans in the Front Range and all across the world watching the latest in the Bryant saga.

First, the majority of Rockies fans don’t dislike Kris Bryant. Or shouldn’t. Not personally. Not even professionally, really. The man’s a symptom of franchise ineptitude. Not the cause.

He’s done. Nobody wants to say it, because of lawyers and agents and agendas. But everybody’s thinking it. Bryant showed up at Camelback Ranch in pain last week and was put on the 60-day disabled list to open the season, with no clear timetable for a return.

There are no winners here. It’s just … sad. Sad and stupidly expensive. The Rockies’ third baseman/outfielder/DH isn’t dodging If anything, there’s a chance he’s shortened his career by actively trying — and pushing — to come back and justify Colorado’s expense. Especially in 2022 and ’23, the first two seasons of that deal, when the Rox were desperate and the ink had barely dried.

Second, none of this happens without Nolan Arenado. Or rather, none of it happens without the Rockies botching the Arenado thing so badly that CEO Dick Monfort and the family felt obligated to take this massive swing to try and replace him.

In other words, they messed up twice.

Worse yet, they gave in twice to desperation — and set the franchise back about a decade, competitively, in the process.

Kris Bryant saga gets sadder — D

In February 2021, the Rockies slammed shut their own competitive window, one that had peaked too briefly in 2017 and ’18, by trading Arenado and $51 million to the Cardinals for Austin Gomber and four stiffs. By the end of August 2025, none of those five players were on an active MLB roster.

In March 2022, roughly a year after the worst trade in franchise history, they decided to fill the Nolan-sized hole they’d created themselves by giving Bryant a seven-year deal.

Insiders winced. Pundits shrugged. The nicest thing anybody said at the time was that it looked like an overpay for a guy who was about to land on the wrong side of 30.

And as we know now, sadly, he landed with a thud. Bryant’s played just 170 games in purple. He appeared in 48 games over the last two seasons. It’s anybody’s guess whether he’ll suit up ever again.

That’s $233 million in payroll — $51 million to the Cardinals and $182 million to KB23 — that could have been used toward improving the roster while Arenado was still here. And should have, in hindsight.

The Rockies signed Bryant to be their David Wright, and they got it — only it was Wright after the age of 30, when a lower back stress fracture for the ex-Mets star led to spinal stenosis and, eventually, retirement in 2018 at 35 years old.

Bryant turns 35 next January. His $182 million is guaranteed. Super agent Scott Boras got him the money — and made Monfort look like a fool for giving it.  Now they’re among the loudest hawks on opposite sides of a potentially ugly labor impasse that looms once MLB’s collective bargaining agreement ends on Dec. 1.

Monfort is pushing for a salary cap. Boras is drawing a hard line against a hard cap and warning his clients not to cross it.

Bryant, meanwhile, looks trapped in the middle — while the labor tussle to come makes it even less likely that Boras would recommend one of his clients do Monfort a solid and negotiate a more painless settlement. Are you kidding?

If Rox fans want to point fingers, they should point them at the owners and agents who steered this car off a cliff. Don’t hate the player. Hate the guys who broke a franchise’s back in order to make him their poster child.

The Rockies’ veteran left-hander is now the club’s representative for the Major League Baseball Players Association, just as another labor battle heats up. Freeland woke up to news Tuesday morning that Tony Clark, the MLBPA’s executive director, had resigned, leaving the union without its longtime leader less than a year before the expiration of Major League Baseball’s collective bargaining agreement.

“A little bit shocking,” said Freeland, who replaced former Rockies pitcher Austin Gomber as Colorado’s player representative. “You know, Tony’s been in that position for quite some time. I woke up to the same news that you guys did. I don’t have much information on it right now, but I’m sure later today, when we get together, we’ll have more information on it.”

player leaders planned to meet Tuesday afternoon to discuss the ramifications of Clark’s resignation. Clark has led the MLBPA  since 2013.

Clark’s resignation comes amid the Eastern District of New York’s ongoing investigation into the MLBPA’s finances and other dealings. the Eastern District is reviewing whether MLBPA officials used licensing money or equity to improperly enrich themselves.

Clark’s resignation comes at a critical time. Major league owners are expected push for a salary cap that will likely prompt a lockout when the current CBA expires on Dec. 1.

Freeland, entering his 10th big-league season, said he knew what he was getting into when he became Colorado’s player rep.

“I kind of saw it coming and kind of saw everything unfolding of how it was going to be,” he said of the looming labor war. “I had to wrap my head around that. But it’s something I took head-on, started learning, started asking questions, asserted myself into really understanding more about the (MLBPA).”

Rockies owner Dick Monfort is one of the chief leaders on the owners’ side of the negotiations. It’s one of the reasons why Monfort handed over much of the Rockies’ decision-making duties to his son, Walker, last fall.

“I have a lot more responsibility with the league over the next year, so I have to allocate time there. Plus, I’m getting older,” the 71-year-old told The Post in November. “Walker came to me and said he was interested in taking on (a bigger role). He can handle it.”

Although Freeland and Dick Monfort will be on opposite sides of the labor battle, Freeland said he doesn’t believe it will negatively affect his relationship with the Rockies owner, with whom he has a solid relationship.

“We have always known that Dick has kind of been the head of labor (negotiations) for the other side,” Freeland said. “But I think Dick has done a great job of this, and (we) players have done a great job of this … that when we cross paths in the dugout, or wherever, maybe it’s really not talked about, but there is a respect there. Both sides are trying to get something done to better themselves. And I believe Dick respects that, and we respect that.”

Freeland said that right now, his balancing act between being a pitcher and a labor leader is going smoothly. However, he understands what is likely coming in the months ahead.

“It might get a little bit hairy later in the year when things get more intense with MLB,” he said.

The following are some basics for spring training 2026:

Location:

Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, 7555 N. Pima Rd., Scottsdale, Ariz.

Key dates

• Feb. 12: Pitchers and catchers report to camp
• Feb. 17: First full-squad workout
• Feb. 20: First Cactus League game vs. Diamondbacks at Salt River Fields (1:10 p.m. MST)
• March 2: Game vs. World Series champion Dodgers, Salt River Fields (1:10 p.m.)
• March 4: Game vs. Team USA (World Baseball Classic), Salt River Fields (1:10 p.m.)

Games on the radio

850 AM/94.1 FM KOA Rockies Radio Network
(All times Denver time)
• Feb. 20 vs. Diamondbacks (1 p.m. pregame/1:10 p.m. first pitch)
• Feb. 22 at Rangers (12:55/1:05)
• Feb. 24 vs. Angels (1/1:10)
• Feb. 28 vs. Royals (1/1:10)
• March 1 at Guardians (12:55/1:05)
• March 2 vs. Dodgers (1/1:10)
• March 4 vs. Team USA (1/1:10)
• March 8 vs. Guardians (2/2:10)
• March 9 at White Sox (1:55/2:05)
• March 13 vs. Rangers (2/2:10)
• March 15 at Angels (2/2:10)
• March 17 vs. Mariners (2/2:10)
• March 23 vs. Tigers (7/7:10)

Games on TV

Rockies.TV
• Feb. 20 vs. Diamondbacks
• Feb. 24 vs. Angels
• Feb. 28 vs. Royals
• March 2 vs. Dodgers
• March 4 vs. Team USA
• March 8 vs. Guardians
• March 13 vs. Rangers
• March 17 vs. Mariners
• March 23 vs. Tigers

Key player additions

• LHP Brennan Bernardino: experienced lefty reliever.
• RHP Michael Lorenzen: much-needed, experienced depth for the starting rotation.
• RHP Pierson Ohl: depth for the bullpen.
• OF Jake McCarthy: athleticism and speed at all three outfield positions.
• UTL Willi Castro: switch-hitter who can play multiple infield positions, and the outfield, if needed.
• INF Edouard Julien: provides veteran depth at second and first base.
• 1B T.J. Rumfield: Triple-A infielder acquired from the Yankees will compete for the starting spot.

Key player subtractions

• LHP Austin Gomber: free-agent starter became a free agent, signed a minor league deal with the Rangers.
• RHP German Marquez: free-agent starter became a free agent, remains unsigned.
• RHP Angel Chivilli: strong-armed reliever traded to the Yankees.
• 1B Michael Toglia: non-tender by Rockies, signed a minor league deal with Reds.
• OF Yanquiel Fernández: designated for assignment, now a free agent.

Prospects to watch:

• 1B Charlie Condon (Rockies No. 2, via MLB Pipeline)
• OF Zac Veen (No. 11)
• LHP Carson Palmquist (No. 13)
• RHP Gabriel Hughes (No. 14)
• OF Sterlin Thompson (No. 15)
• LHP Welinton Herrera (No. 20)

— Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post

The Rockies’ brass, however, doesn’t believe the future is futile. Leaning on the talent of its largely untested prospects, the Rockies cling to the proverbial “light at the end of the tunnel.” The nearest rays of hope come from young pitchers such as right-handers Chase Dollander, Gabriel Hughes and Tanner Gordon, as well as lefty Sean Sullivan.

Asked if there is real promise in those pitchers, pitching coach Darryl Scott replied, “Absolutely.”

“We had a wave of solid starting pitchers with Kyle Freeland, German Marquez and Antonio Senzatela, those guys, going back to our playoff teams (in 2017-18),” Scott continued. “Now we have a young wave that’s ready to come through. There is a nice young wave of arms that we haven’t seen in quite some time.”

General manager Bill Schmidt, whose future with the team is uncertain as the Rockies careen toward a third consecutive 100-loss season, agreed. “But I think any time you are going with young kids, some growth (is needed).”

Fact, however, must take precedence over hopeful words and optimistic projections. And the facts aren’t pretty.

A combination of poor performance, injuries and inexperience has put Colorado’s rotation in a bad place. The Rockies entered Saturday’s game with the Cubs with that starters ERA of 6.62 — on pace for the highest in franchise history and the second-highest in baseball’s modern era. The 1999 Rockies rotation had a 6.19 ERA during the pre-humidor days at Coors Field. The 1996 Tigers’ rotation had a 6.64 ERA, which contributed to their 109-loss season.

Current Rockies starters have a .317 batting average against, a 1.683 WHIP, and a 7.93 ERA in the first inning — all the worst marks in the majors, by a considerable margin.

“The veteran guys we had, we didn’t get the production we needed,” Schmidt said, adding that Marquez and Senzatela were still rusty coming back from time missed after undergoing Tommy John surgeries in 2023 and complications in 2024.

To think, Colorado entered the season with hope that it was turning the corner. Former manager Bud Black projected that the veteran core of the rotation — right-handers German Marquez, Antonio Senzatela and Ryan Feltner, and lefties Kyle Freeland and Austin Gomber — would provide stability.

Gomber is no longer with the team, Feltner hasn’t pitched since late April, Senzatela was demoted to the bullpen this week, and Black was fired on May 11 after the Rockies opened the season 7-33.

The club also anticipated a strong, if inconsistent, first season from Dollander.

The 2023 first-round draft choice has flashed talent, but after his first 19 major league starts, he’s 2-11 with a 6.55 ERA, including a 9.88 ERA and 10 homers allowed in 10 starts at Coors Field. Overall, he has lacked efficiency and has struggled to put hitters away when he gets ahead in the count.

“We’ve talked a lot about that, and Chase is aware,” Scott said. “He’s working every time out on that. … I believe Chase has the stuff to be a No. 1 starter on any team at any time. And I truly believe he will be that guy here.”

Asked if Coors Field has gotten into the rookie’s head, Scott said, “Absolutely not.”

Dollander says the same thing: “I’m going to throw half my starts in Denver. I’ve just got to figure it out, and I’m on the way to figuring it out. I’m excited to get back there and show what I got in Denver.”

None of Colorado’s core starters has met expectations. Gomber, who missed the first two months of the season with shoulder soreness, was released on Aug. 22, carrying the baggage of a 0-7 record and a 7.49 ERA over 12 starts.

Senzatela (4-15, 7.15 ERA) was recently demoted because of poor performance and the club’s need to give rookie right-handers McCade Brown and Gordon big-league experience during the final weeks of the season. Whether or not Senzatela can be a part of the rotation next season is a major question mark, even though he’s due $12 million in 2026. The club holds an option for the 2027 season when he’s scheduled to make $14 million.

Feltner emerged as Colorado’s best starter in the second half last season, posting a 2.98 ERA and a .227 batting average against for his final 15 starts. But injuries limited him to six starts (0-2, 4.75 ERA) this season, and he remains sidelined by a sore shoulder. His problems began with a back injury that put him on the injured list at the end of April.

“I thought, 100%, that he had a chance to be our No. 1 starter, based on what he did last year,” Scott said. “I thought he was in a position to be a No. 1 or No. 2 starter for us and take off. He had a chance to be our opening-day starter and the foundation of our rotation moving forward. So this has been a frustrating season for him and for us.”

Freeland has had some solid outings and produced 11 quality starts, but his 5.28 ERA and 20 home runs surrendered in 25 starts are below his own expectations.

Marquez, 30, rejoined the rotation on Friday after being on the injured list since July 21 with right biceps tendinitis. He got blown up by the Cubs, giving up eight runs on nine hits in 4 2/3 innings. For the first time in his career, he failed to strike out a batter. He’d made 21 starts this season, going 3-12 with a 6.14 ERA. Subpar numbers, for sure, but before his injury, Marquez was pitching well, posting a 3.55 ERA over his last 11 starts.

Outside of Dollander, Marquez might be Colorado’s most talented starter, or at least he used to be before Tommy John surgery. But he’s scheduled to become a free agent and will almost certainly sign with another team during the offseason.

That leaves Colorado’s cupboard nearly bare of experienced starters for the 2026 season. Given the vagaries of pitching at altitude at Coors Field, signing an accomplished veteran pitcher via free agency is unlikely. Obtaining a starter via trades is possible. However, the Rockies must rely on youth and the promise of their prospects to forge a turnaround.

“I think it’s exciting,” said Chris Forbes, director of player development. “Sure, we still have to develop these young guys, but they have talent.”

Forbes points to Hughes as a possible candidate for next year’s rotation. He is 2-5 with a 4.55 ERA at three minor league levels this season.

The 10th overall pick out of Gonzaga in 2022 missed the entire 2024 minor league season recovering from Tommy John surgery on his right elbow. But he’s made encouraging strides in the second half of the season at Triple-A Albuquerque. On Tuesday, he made the best of his 10 Triple-A starts this season, pitching a season-high six innings, with five strikeouts and one run on three hits. He missed starts for five weeks in July and August because of shoulder inflammation and some mechanical issues that needed to be addressed after his surgery.

“We have to remember that this is a rehab year for Gabe after Tommy John, and he’s had a couple of little setbacks,” Forbes said. “But now he’s getting in-game innings, and his innings will be up to where he can have a full offseason. And we love the idea of starting his offseason a little bit earlier.”

Whether Hughes is actually ready for the big leagues next season remains to be seen. Still, the Rockies seem sold on Gordon, acquired by the Rockies from the Braves at the trade deadline in 2023, along with closer Victor Vodnik, in a deal that sent reliever Pierce Johnson to Atlanta.

“I think Tanner Gordon, even though he might just be a bottom-of-the-rotation starter, knows he can be effective,” Schmidt said. “He’s beaten some good teams.”

On Tuesday night in Houston, Gordon became the first Rockies pitcher this season to win three consecutive starts. Those wins came over the Diamondbacks, Dodgers and Astros, leaving him 5-5 with a 6.44 ERA over 10 big-league stars. His three-game stretch came after the D-backs blasted him for 10 runs on 12 hits at Chase Field on Aug. 10.

The win over the Astros was viewed as a big step forward.

“I’m trying to keep it really simple out there,” Gordon said after pitching six innings of one-run ball in Colorado’s 6-1 win at Daikin Park. “Just going out and executing pitches and being in attack mode from pitch No. 1 to the very end.”

Scott likes that Gordon is an intense competitor and a quick, eager learner. Gordon, Scott said, reminds him of a young, right-handed version of Freeland. That is, a pitcher who’s a technician who wins with precision pitching.

“That’s pretty high praise,” Gordon said. “Kyle Freeland is a hell of a pitcher and a great teammate. I think that comparison kind of rings true. He has more pitches than I do, and they move a little bit more. But when he’s on, he’s on. If I can execute pitches like that, I can put pressure on the other team and give us the chance to win.”

The Rockies’ job is to take the talents of Dollander, Gordon, Hughes, and others and shape them into big-league pitchers. Otherwise, the franchise could be out of answers.

“There is a lot to learn for a lot of these guys,” Scott said. “This is not a ‘stuff’ game. That’s really hard to get through to guys because stuff is what got them drafted. Ultimately, if you have stuff, plus command, that’s what makes a really good pitcher at the big-league level. That’s what we’re aiming for.”

Soaring ERAs

This season, Rockies starters have posted one of the highest ERAs in the modern era of baseball (since 1901). They trail only the 1996 Tigers for the worst ERA. Here are the five highest ERAs (not counting the 2020 COVID season):

#Through 105 games on Aug. 29. | Source: Stats, Inc.

Note: Not all starters’ ERAs are available since 1901.

Veteran right-hander Antonio Senzatela, who’s been hit hard, was moved to the bullpen on Tuesday. Fellow right-hander German Marquez, on the injured list since July 21 with biceps tendinitis, is scheduled to return and start against the Cubs on Friday night at Coors Field.

Senzatela’s demotion is not a surprise. The 30-year-old is 4-15 with a 7.15 ERA in 24 games (starts), and batters are hitting .356 against him. Last week, the Rockies released struggling veteran left-hander Austin Gomber. The Rockies cleared space by cutting Gomber and demoting Senzatela, because they want to see what rookie right-handers McCade Brown and Tanner Gordon can do during the final month of the season.

“Needless to say, ‘Senza’ has not had the season he wanted to have on a consistent basis,” general manager Bill Schmidt said Wednesday. “The move to the bullpen needed to be made. I’m not going to use the term “reinvent himself,’ but he’s got to make some adjustments going forward.

“The bottom line is that he was not helping the club. He was hurting the club, especially early in the game. Same thing with ‘Gomby.” They were putting the team in a hole early, and they were putting our young relievers in a hole, too.”

Pitching coach Darryl Scott said that Senzatela handled his demotion well.

“The reaction was just what you would think from Antonio Senzatela,” Scott said Wednesday before the Rockies played the Astros in Houston. “He’s a class act, and he understands that this is the move that needed to be made from a team standpoint and a development standpoint. Antonio said he will do whatever needs to be done for the team.”

Scott said that the plan is to use Senzatela out of the bullpen for the rest of the season. During next year’s spring training, the right-hander will be given an opportunity to compete for a spot in the rotation. Senzatela has one year remaining on his contract and is set to earn $12 million in 2026. The club holds an option for the 2027 season when he’s scheduled to make $14 million.

Senzatela’s fastball velocity has been fine (94-95 mph on average), but he’s lacked command on his breaking pitches, especially since undergoing Tommy John surgery in July of 2023.

“The slider development, post-surgery, just hasn’t come for him,” Scott said. “He doesn’t spin the ball as well as we had hoped coming off that surgery.”

Marquez, 30, is making $10 million this season. He’s scheduled to become a free agent at the end of the season. Marquez will almost certainly sign with another team during the offseason. He’s made 20 starts this season, going 3-11 with a 5.67 ERA. After a rocky start, he pitched much better until his shoulder/biceps injury flared up.

“It’s important for him to finish strong,” Scott said. “If he gets these next five starts to end the season, he’ll end up with about 125 innings. It would be nice if he could do that. I think that’s important for him, personally, to show that he’s healthy.

“His fastball is still playing well — hitting 93 to 95 mph — so his velocity is still there. His curveball is as good as it’s been. So I think there is a lot of hope for him, whether it’s with us or someone else, I don’t see any issues going forward.”

When the Rockies released left-handed starter Austin Gomber on Friday, the club severed ties with the last remaining player acquired in the infamous 2021 trade that sent the disenchanted Arenado — and $51 million — to the Cardinals.

Arenado, the 10-time Gold Glove third baseman and eight-time All-Star, was the centerpiece of what’s widely viewed as one of the worst trades in Colorado sports history. I know many fans who turned their back on the Rockies because of the trade and have never returned.

Gomber nearly lasted five full seasons with the Rockies, going 28-44 with a 5.31 ERA over 125 games (109 starts). He was a mentor to other young pitchers and a steady presence in the clubhouse. But he would have had to pitch like Chris Sale for Rockies fans to forgive owner Dick Monfort for trading Arenado — even if Arenado did everything he could to get out of Denver.

Gomber never really escaped Arenado’s presence. Four starts into his 2023 season, he was ripped for nine runs in two innings at Coors Field in a 14-3 loss to the Pirates. After that game, the often-candid Gomber admitted that being Colorado’s most valuable piece in the Arenado trade weighed on him.

“I’m kinda searching for (my own identity) right now,” Gomber said. “In the past, I tried not to worry about (being attached to Arenado), and I think I was better at that earlier on when I was here. But the longer I’ve been here (the harder it gets). Because when (the trade) first happened, I didn’t understand the magnitude of it here.”

Gomber, at least, gave the Rockies something. They got next to nothing for the other four players they acquired in the Arenado trade.

Infielder Elehuris Montero washed out as a third baseman and then tried his hand at first when Kris Bryant was sidelined by injury. Over parts of three seasons with Colorado (2022-24), Montero played in 205 games, slashed .228/.387/.665, hit 21 homers, and put up a minus-1.7 WAR. He’s currently playing for Hiroshima in the Japanese Central League.

Infielder Mateo Gil never made it above High-A with the Rockies before he was selected by the Mets in the minor league phase of the 2022 Rule 5 draft. He advanced to Triple-A Syracuse but never made it to the majors. He last played in Mexico with Charros de Jalisco.

Right-handed reliever Jake Sommers pitched at Double-A Hartford and Triple-A Albuquerque last season, but has not pitched this season. Over parts of four minor league seasons, he threw in 52 games (12 starts) with a 5.83 ERA.

Right-hander Tony Locey made it as high as Double-A Hartford in 2022, but he posted a 12.11 ERA over 14 games (eight starts) with the Yard Goats. He last played in the Rays’ organization in 2023 for High-A Bowling Green.

Even if the players involved in the Arenado are now all gone, a couple of phantoms remain.

First, there is the money. This is the final year in which Colorado had to pay St. Louis $5 million, the final installment of the $51 million the Rockies agreed to pay to offset the $199 million remaining on Arenado’s nine-year, $275 million contract.

Soon, the last remaining ghost will be Bryant. True, he was not part of the Arenado trade, but when the Rockies signed Bryant to a seven-year, $182 million contract shortly before the 2022 season, it was a botched attempt to replace Arenado with an instant star. That’s not just my opinion; several people in the Rockies organization agree that Monfort signed Bryant as a make-good for the Arenado debacle.

Bryant has played in just 11 games this season because of his chronic back condition. He’s played in a total of 170 games in four seasons with the Rockies. There is a good chance he will never play again, but the Rockies still owe him $27 million in 2026, ’27 and ’28.

Of course, the trade hasn’t turned out like Arenado envisioned either. A year after he signed his massive deal with the Rockies, he wanted out because he was convinced the Rockies were not committed to winning and because of his toxic relationship with former general manager Jeff Bridich.

But Arenado is 34 now, and he’s never come close to playing in a World Series with the Cardinals. They haven’t been to the playoffs since 2022, and Arenado has never won a postseason game with the Redbirds.

As I wrote last summer, “If the Cardinals don’t rediscover (their) winning ways soon, with Arenado leading the way, one of the biggest trades in Colorado sports history won’t turn out like anyone projected. Least of all, the man at the center of it all.”

Gomber was 0-7 with a 7.49 ERA in 12 starts this season. He is the only starting pitcher in the majors this season to have 12 or more outings with no quality starts.

Tuesday night, the Dodgers hammered him for seven runs on nine hits in a season-low three innings. Los Angeles hit a pair of solo homers in the second inning off Gomber — first by leadoff Alex Call and then Shohei Ohtani hit his 44th homer of the season.

After the game, Gomber was candid about his struggles, saying he felt “a little bit lost out there right now.”

“I don’t really have any confidence or conviction,” Gomber continued. “I don’t really have an identity of what I’m trying to do … and I’m just searching as I go. It����ap a tough place to be, out there trying to figure out what����ap going to work on the fly.”

Gomber was placed on outright waivers early this week, a hint that his time in Colorado was nearing an end. When no team claimed him after 48 hours, the Rockies decided to release him. A team would have had to pay about $1.3 million remaining on Gomber’s $6.35 million salary if they had picked him up.

Gomber, 31, was scheduled to become a free agent at the end of the season.

When the Rockies traded Arenado to St. Louis in February 2021, they also received infielders Mateo Gil and Elehuris Montero and pitchers Tony Locey and Jake Sommers. Now, none of the five players remain with the organization.

Gomber is in the middle of a bad stretch. Never a hard thrower, the lefty’s average fastball this season is sitting at a career-low 89.5 mph. That����ap down 2 mph from his first season with Colorado in 2021. His strikeout rate is at a career-worst 12.5%, and his 7.2% swinging-strike rate is tied for ninth-worst among the 257 pitchers who’ve pitched at least 50 innings this season.

Gomber missed the first two and a half months of the season because of shoulder soreness. But he said Tuesday that he was feeling fine.

In five seasons with the Rockies, Gomber was 28-44 with a 5.31 ERA over 125 games (109 starts).

In other roster moves on Friday, the club selected the contract of lefty reliever Lucas Gilbreath from Triple-A Albuquerque, recalled right-handed reliever Angel Chivilli from Triple-A, and placed right-handed reliever Dugan Darnell on the 15-day injured list with left hip inflammation.

Gilbreath, 29, a graduate of Legacy High School, has been battling his way back from injuries. As the season nears its final month, he’ll get a chance to show what he might have left. His numbers for the Isotopes were not good — 6.21 ERA, 11.8% walk rate, and 1.91 home runs per nine innings over 37 outings — but the Rockies’ bullpen has been taxed.

Gilbreath’s future as a back-end reliever looked promising in 2021-22 when he posted a 3.78 ERA with a 25% strikeout rate. But he underwent Tommy John surgery in March 2023, wiping out his season. He was reinstated from the injured list in August 2024, but he made just three appearances before shoulder inflammation wiped out the rest of that season.

A night after the Rockies walked-off Los Angeles to snap a 10-game losing streak against the NL West juggernauts in a performance in which Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said his team “let our guard down,” Los Angeles crushed Colorado 11-4 at Coors Field.

Colorado, ever the little brother to the boys in blue, hasn’t won consecutive games in a single season against the Dodgers since October 2022. And the Rockies haven’t won two in a row against L.A. at Coors Field since about three months before that. Los Angeles has now won the season series against Colorado for eight straight years.

The Dodgers showed their dominance over Colorado on Tuesday by pummeling Austin Gomber. L.A. lit up the southpaw for seven runs on nine hits and two walks in a season-low three innings for him. The parade of hard-hit balls featured a pair of solo homers in the second inning, first by leadoff Alex Call and then Shohei Ohtani’s 44th blast this season a few batters later.

After the performance, Gomber admitted he feels “a little bit lost out there right now.”

“I don’t really have any confidence or conviction,” Gomber said. “I don’t really have an identity of what I’m trying to do … and I’m just searching as I go. It’s a tough place to be, out there trying to figure out what’s going to work on the fly.”

In between those two bombs by Call and Ohtani that traveled a combined 866 feet, Los Angeles also plated two runs in the first and three runs in the third. All five of those runs came with two outs.

“Missed locations came back and undid him,” interim manager Warren Schaeffer said of Gomber. “He had a tough time getting inside (on hitters).”

In the first, a two-out walk to Will Smith opened the door for RBI doubles by Freddie Freeman and Teoscar Hernández. Then in the third, Call, Miguel Rojas and Buddy Kennedy all notched RBI singles to extend the lead to 7-0.

Gomber’s ERA now stands at 7.49. He remains winless in ’25, and is the only pitcher in the majors this season to have 12 or more starts with no quality outings. The rest of the rotation hasn’t been any better: After Gomber’s outing on Tuesday, the ERA of Colorado starters is 6.59. The club record for highest starters’ ERA is 6.19, set in 1999 before the humidor came to Coors Field.

“It sucks to let the team down, and more specifically the bullpen, because they needed more length than that,” Gomber said. “I just couldn’t provide it.”

The Rockies offense finally woke up in the fourth as Brenton Doyle mashed a two-run homer to left-center off Emmet Sheehan to cut the deficit to 7-2.

That continued the center fielder’s hot second half. Entering the game, Doyle was slashing .387/.418/.587. He has the third-highest batting average in the majors since the All-Star break, and the fifth-highest OPS (1.004) among players with at least 80 plate appearances.

In the sixth, the Rockies cut into the lead again with another two-run homer. This time, two rookies who have impressed since debuting in the last month combined to get to Sheehan again. Warming Bernabel walked, then two batters later, Kyle Karros mashed his first career homer 381 feet into the left-field bleachers to make it 7-4.

Karros’ blast came with his dad, former Dodgers star Eric Karros, in the stands… somewhere. The younger Karros struck out twice before homering.

“He was switching up seats (for my at-bats) — I think he ended up in the nosebleeds,” Karros said of his dad. “He was trying out everything. He played the game, he knows how superstitions work. He sent me photos from all over (the ballpark). I think he found the lucky spot (in the sixth).

“I was in a two-strike count just trying to battle, and then I barreled it … rounding second or third, I was looking (for my dad) and I didn’t find him, probably because he was in the nosebleeds. He definitely crossed my mind. He was there for my debut, and now here again for another big first.”

The Colorado bullpen (which has pitched well lately with a 3.35 ERA in the last 11 games coming into Tuesday) held the fort for a little while after Gomber got blasted.

Anthony Molina worked around three hits and a walk over three scoreless innings, but ran into trouble in his fourth frame. He departed with runners on second and third with one out in the seventh.

“That was exactly what we needed out of the bullpen, to cover three-plus innings with three zeros,” Schaeffer said. “Molina attacked the zone and got some quick outs.”

Nick Anderson spelled Molina, and his first pitch was a passed ball by Hunter Goodman that scored a run to make it 8-4. A walk followed, then Ohtani grounded into a fielder’s choice to score a run and Smith followed with an RBI single to make it 10-4. Smith added another RBI single in the ninth off Dugan Darnell. Tuesday was the third time this year that every Dodgers starter recorded a hit.

While the Dodgers remain in a tight race with the Padres for the NL West, the Rockies’ magic number to avoid matching the 2024 White Sox’s modern record of 121 losses remains six. With the way Colorado has played of late (14-16 since the All-Star break), it’s likely the Rockies avoid that infamy, though they remain on pace to book a third straight 100-loss season and the club’s worst year ever.

Wednesday’s pitching matchup

Dodgers RHP Shohei Ohtani (0-0, 3.47 ERA) at Rockies RHP Tanner Gordon (3-5, 7.89)

6:40 p.m. Wednesday, Coors Field

TV: Rockies.TV (streaming); Comcast/Xfinity (channel 1262); DirecTV (683); Spectrum (130, 445, 305, 435 or 445, depending on region).

Radio: 850 AM, 94.1 FM

Trending: Catcher Hunter Goodman has been Colorado’s MVP this season. He entered Tuesday night’s game with 25 home runs, most on the team and tied for ninth in the National League. His 25 homers rank as the second-most by a primary catcher in franchise history, trailing Wilin Rosario’s 28 home runs in 2012. Goodman’s six home runs in the ninth inning are the most in the NL, tied for the most in baseball, and tied for the second-most ninth-inning home runs in franchise history. Todd Helton hit seven in 2000. Goodman’s 50 extra-base hits are tied for 10th in the NL and lead all NL catchers. He is the first catcher in franchise history with at least 100 hits, 50 extra-base hits, and 25 home runs in a season.

Pitching probables

• Thursday: Dodgers LHP Clayton Kershaw (7-2, 3.01) at Rockies RHP Chase Dollander (2-9, 6.43), 1:10 p.m.
• Friday: Rockies RHP Antonio Senzatela (4-14, 7.00 ERA) at Pirates RHP Mike Burrows (1-4, 4.46), 4:40 p.m.

— Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post

Not on Wednesday afternoon at Busch Stadium.

All-Star catcher Hunter Goodman hit a two-run, pinch-hit homer in the ninth inning to lift the Rockies to a 6-5 comeback victory over the Cardinals. Goodman launched closer JoJo Romero’s 3-1 sinker 436 feet to dead center. Rookie third baseman Kyle Karros set up Goodman’s game-winner by drawing a leadoff walk off Romero.

“I was just trying to get on for (Goodman),” Karros told Rockies.TV. “It was just super cool to be a part of. I wanted to get on base and let my teammates do the work.”

Goodman became the first Rockies player to hit a go-ahead, pinch-hit homer in the ninth inning or later since Ryan McMahon on Sept. 9, 2021, at Philadelphia. McMahon hit a two-run homer in the ninth in Colorado’s 4-3 victory.

Goodman has homered in five of his last 10 games and six of 13. He’s just four home runs shy of tying Wilin Rosario for the most homers by a catcher in franchise history. Rosario hit 28 in 2012.

The Rockies rallied from a 5-2 deficit to clinch the three-game series after winning on Tuesday night to snap an eight-game skid. Colorado won four of six games against the Cardinals this season, taking the season series for the first time since 2009.The Rockies (32-88) are 6-33 in all series this season but 2-0 vs. the Redbirds.

“We had lost eight in a row and the boys kept fighting,” Schaeffer told reporters. “That’s what it’s all about. That was fun today.”

Closer Victor Vodnik set the Cardinals down in order in the ninth to post his fourth save. He notched a five-out save in Colorado’s 3-0 win on Tuesday night.

In Wednesday’s matinee, the pesky Rockies kept chipping their way back into the game.

Ezequiel Tovar’s single scored Tyler Freeman in the fourth. Karros, who’s hitting .333 in his infant career after going 2 for 3, opened the fifth with a leadoff single, took third on Yanquiel Frenandez’s single, and scored on Braxton Fulford’s groundout.

Mickey Moniak’s leadoff homer to right field trimmed St. Louis’ lead to 5-3 in the sixth.

Karros, who reached base three times as the leadoff hitter and scored all three times, sparked another mini-rally in the seventh. He hit a leadoff double, took third on a wild pitch by Kyle Leahy, and scored on Braxton Fulford’s sacrifice fly to center.

Per usual, the Rockies fell behind early. Left-handed starter Austin Gomber never imploded, but he wasn’t very effective. The Cardinals tagged him for five runs on nine hits over five innings, leaving him with a 6.75 ERA.

Three big swings hurt Gomber. No. 9 hitter Pedro Pages ripped a two-out, two-run double to left in the second inning to give St. Louis a 2-0 lead. Lars Nootbaar’s leadoff homer put the Cardinals ahead, 3-1, in the fourth. The most painful blow was Alex Burleson’s two-run homer to right in the fifth that stretched the Cardinals’ lead to 5-2.

Colorado’s bullpen, which has struggled mightily in the second half of the season, kept the Rockies in Wednesday’s game. Nick Anderson, Jaden Hill and Jimmy Herget all pitched a perfect inning, combining for six strikeouts.

“From the sixth inning on, they came in and didn’t allow one runner,” Schaeffer said. “They did a great job. Guys stepped up in big situations, like Anderson and Hill. That’s what we need. We have guys who are earning a role, and they did a good job (today), giving us a chance.”

The Rockies return to Denver on Thursday to open a four-game set with the Diamondbacks at Coors Field.

Thursday’s pitching matchup

Diamondbacks LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (4-7, 5.68 ERA) at Rockies RHP Bradley Blalock (1-3, 7.89)

6:40 p.m. Thursday, Coors Field

TV: Rockies.TV (streaming); Comcast/Xfinity (channel 1262); DirecTV (683); Spectrum (130, 445, 305, 435 or 445, depending on region).

Radio: 850 AM, 94.1 FM

Trending: Rookie third baseman Kyle Karros went 2 for 3 on Wednesday and has hit safely in five of his first six major league games, batting 7 for 21 (.333), with three doubles and three RBIs. He recorded an RBI single in his first plate appearance last Friday, the first Rockie to do so since Corey Dickerson on June 22, 2013.

Pitching probables

Friday: Diamondbacks RHP Brandon Pfaadt (12-7, 5.03) at Rockies RHP Tanner Gordon (2-5, 8.37), 6:40 p.m.

Saturday: Diamondbacks RHP Ryne Nelson (6-3, 3.46) at Rockies RHP Chase Dollander (2-9, 6.35), 6:10 p.m.

Sunday: Diamondbacks TBA at Rockies TBA, 1:10 p.m.