“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.

The Montezuma-Cortez senior shortstop was 10 years old when he decided that he wanted to chase his baseball dream beyond the state’s southwestern corner. But expanding his skills outside his small town of , which has approximately 9,000 residents and little opportunity for competitive baseball, meant a serious commitment to traveling. And that necessitated a stack of cash each summer to fuel that dream.

So the then-fifth-grader worked for his family’s hay and cattle company, getting up at dawn to irrigate, mend fences, and feed cows in the morning and at night. Carver was in charge of some of those cows that roamed the 50,000 acres the family leases from the government, and they had Carver’s brand on them; the family would sell the bulls in the springtime to help pay for his baseball.

“That’s really when my competitive career started out,” Carver said. “It was a lot of labor on the farm (to fund it). I would drive around machinery like tractors or skid steers to do it, and every day would load and unload bales of hay for all the cows to eat.

“The number one thing all that taught me was diligence. A lot of the times I’d wake up around 6 o’clock in the morning, thinking ‘I really don’t want to do this, this sucks, I hate this,’ but I’d get up and go anyways. It taught me diligence and being able to wake up every day and work hard to get what I wanted, and that translated to my baseball career, school, everything.”

Considering that genesis, it’s no surprise that Carver is the winner of The Denver Post’s 2026 , presented annually to the top senior baseball player, scholar and community member in Colorado.

Hits, grades, giveback

The Naval Academy signee dominated on the field, batting .580 with 46 RBIs, 13 doubles, four triples, seven homers, a .649 on-base percentage and 21 steals this year. For his career, Carver hit .501 with 127 RBIs, 49 doubles, 21 triples, 18 homers and 105 steals.

Off the diamond, the 18-year-old was equally as impressive to win the second annual Halladay Award. Carver carried a 4.26 GPA, and his community service resume included four years as a volunteer youth baseball coach, volunteering for fundraisers at Pleasant View Elementary, and volunteering at a local assisted living facility where he played piano for residents, did yard work and cleaned the exterior of the building.

In a vote by the Halladay Award’s 15-member section committee, Carver’s well-rounded body of work edged runner-up Hudson Alpert, a star right-hander at Regis Jesuit, as well as three other impressive finalists in Falcon right-hander/first baseman/outfielder Aaron Jaquez, Durango corner infielder/pitcher Austin Romero and Grandview right-hander Ethan Wachsmann.

For winning the award, Carver gets a trophy, a $1,000 scholarship from the nonprofit Colorado High School Baseball Player Award Corporation, a banquet held in his honor and recognition at Monday’s Rockies-Red Sox game at Coors Field.

“This means so much to me,” Carver said of winning the award named after the former Arvada West great and National Baseball Hall of Famer. “I’m honored, and it honestly came as a shock when I got the call that I won. (Getting an award) was never the motivation to do well in school or give back to my community, but I’m grateful to be recognized.”

Carver, a three-time Intermountain League Player of the Year, led the Panthers to the Class 3A state tournament this season and earned for his play. He’s a hard-nosed, old-school type of player who refuses to let his smaller frame — 5-foot-8, 150 pounds — define him.

With a game modeled after former Red Sox second baseman and American League MVP Dustin Pedroia, one teammate describes his approach to baseball as “all gas, no brakes.”

“He’s not afraid to get on a teammate in the dugout if they need it,” said close friend Jonah Castle, Carver’s longtime club teammate. “He’s not afraid to chew someone out because they’re not doing something right or they’re lacking effort. He just wants to bring the best out of everybody, and that’s what he does. But most of that is led by example.”

A three-state, four-pro journey

Carver’s journey from Cortez to Annapolis was shaped by four former professional players over significant time spent in three different states.

In Cortez, Carver had , who coached him in recreational Southwest Colorado Youth Baseball, and then became the shortstop’s head coach at Montezuma-Cortez the last three seasons. Huff played a couple of seasons in the Padres’ organization, reaching as high as Double-A.

Carver’s coaching circle also featured , his trainer in Farmington, New Mexico, who played 10 minor-league seasons for four different organizations, reaching Triple-A; , who played for the Diamondbacks and Rockies and helmed Carver’s Slammers team in Denver; and , a 16-year big-league veteran and 1991 World Series champion with the Twins who coached Carver’s club teams in Phoenix, Ariz.

“Having all of us as coaches was extremely valuable to Cory because he’d take bits and pieces from each of us, and from all these former pros he formed his own way of playing the game,” Jake Huff said. “The fact that Cory can make adjustments or bounce something off one coach and another coach to come up with a solution or a result that he desires just speaks volumes about him being a coachable kid.”

With those former pros overseeing his development — and with Carver finding families to stay with in Denver (a seven-hour drive from Cortez) and Phoenix (six hours) during continuous weekend trips to both places for tournaments — the omens for Carver’s excellence came early and often.

But first, there was a bona fide cry.

“When he was 11 years old, during a fall league game (in Farmington), I brought him in to pitch and close a game on the mound when we had like a six-run lead,” Morrissey recalled. “He ended up blowing the lead after a couple errors. I remember sitting there and he was starting to stress out on the mound — he wanted to get out of there. And I yelled out to him from the dugout, ‘No one’s coming to save you!’

“He bawled his eyes out right on the mound, in front of everyone. We ended up losing the game. … But he never cried on a field again after that day. That was the turning point for him of being tough mentally and being able to battle through anything on the field. And from that time on, there was no kid his age that worked harder than him.”

By the time Carver was an eighth grader, the foreshadowing of his Division I future was getting harder to ignore.

In Arizona, Carver played for Harper’s club team at a tournament at a complex featuring mini-replica MLB fields. Carver’s team was playing on the Fenway Park facsimile, and there was a temporary fence installed in the outfield. Carver hit a ball that sailed over that, and then over the Green Monster in left field.

“Whenever there was a big situation with the game on the line, I hoped we could get Cory at the plate, because he was going to put together a good, competitive at-bat,” Harper said. “And when he hit that ball over the Green Monster, it was kind of legendary.”

Olson cited a similar story from when Carver’s Slammers team traveled to a big tournament in Branson, Missouri, that summer prior to high school. There, Carver hit 10 homers in seven games, part of a torrid season where the shortstop batted .624 with 25 homers — an indication that although Carver isn’t the biggest guy, he knows how to tap into his power.

“He’s very athletic and he does a really good job of using the ground (with his back leg) to develop his power,” Olson said. “And he really just gets everything that he has into the baseball.”

Carver had no problem making the jump from middle school travel ball to the high school varsity, where he was a four-year starter for Montezuma-Cortez. But now an even greater challenge awaits as Carver heads to the , where he begins boot camp this week.

But he didn’t leave Cortez without one final omen this spring: a called shot, which came in an April 2 win over Roaring Fork.

“He watched a kid throw two pitches (from the dugout) and said, ‘I’m going to hit a home run in this at-bat,'” Huff recalled with a laugh. “And that’s exactly what he did. He was hunting a fastball and had the wind in his favor, so he knew if he got it up in the air, it was out of there.

“He got a fastball early in the count and hammered it out of the park. And when he rounded third base, he goes, ‘I told you so.'”

Player of the Year

Cooper Vais, Jr. RHP/SS, Arvada West

The Texas commit was an unstoppable force for the Class 5A runner-ups, batting .458 with seven homers plus a 0.62 ERA and 113 Ks on the mound.

Coach of the Year

Matt Eades, Pueblo County

In his ninth season, the 2005 Pueblo County graduate guided the Hornets to their first crown with a 4-0 mark the Class 4A state tournament.

Pitchers

Blake Swift, Sr. RHP, Pueblo County

The CHSAA Class 4A Player of the Year and Otero College commit put the Hornets on his back en route to the title with a 1.51 ERA in 15 games.

Hudson Alpert, Sr. RHP, Regis Jesuit

After returning at midseason from elbow surgery, the Vanderbilt commit had a 1.91 ERA in seven games, and also hit .449 for the Class 5A champs.

Ethan Wachsmann, Sr. RHP, Grandview

The Wake Forest commit touched 100 mph this season as opponents hit .159 vs him; threw a no-hitter, and had a 2.10 ERA in 9 games with 66 Ks.

Hunter Vitello, Jr. RHP, Denver South

The DPS standout threw a no-hitter against Ralston Valley in the Class 5A regional opener. He logged 101 strikeouts and just 15 walks, with a 2.17 ERA.

Gunnar Garrison, Sr. RHP, Eaton

The Arizona State commit with a mid-90s heater was a centerpiece of Eaton’s Class 3A Final 4 team, with a 1.62 ERA in 11 games with 116 strikeouts.

Jake Watts, Jr. RHP, Ralston Valley

The Mustangs’ ace and Evansville pledge posted a 2.50 ERA in 8 games, with 70 strikeouts while limiting hitters to a paltry .146 average.

Colten Smith, Jr. RHP, Legend

The BYU commit with a low-90s fastball was critical in Legend’s Class 5A Final 4 run, posting a 3.00 ERA in 10 games and rising up down the stretch.

Mikey Kroll, Jr. RHP, Regis Jesuit

A one-two punch in the Raiders’ rotation behind Alpert, Kroll threw four shutout innings in the Class 5A title game and had a 2.73 ERA in 8 games.

Josh Weaver, Sr. RHP, Fruita Monument

In addition to being a force in the lineup, the Wildcats’ ace and Cowley commit had a 1.52 ERA in 11 games, including 92 Ks to just 11 walks.

Sawyer Tipton, Sr. RHP, Mountain Vista

With a 1.84 ERA in 12 games, Tipton was the Golden Eagles’ unquestionable ace, and the Lehigh commit also racked up 79 strikeouts to 23 walks.

Max Goldberg, Sr. LHP, Cherry Creek

The Boston College commit dominated this spring, with a 1.79 ERA in 10 games, 73 Ks to 21 walks, and held opponents to a .195 average.

Catchers

Cole Teltschik, Sr., Discovery Canyon

The Thunder’s powerful backstop and Missouri State commit led all classifications with 13 homers while hitting .593 with a ridiculous 2.096 OPS.

Brayden Reiner, Sr., Arvada West

A two-way senior pillar for the Class 5A runner-ups, the Newman University commit had a .410 on-base percentage; also was 11-0 with a 0.92 ERA.

Peter Worth, Sr., Northfield

The Washington University in St. Louis commit dominated with a .492 average, 26 RBIs and a 1.428 OPS in a spring that featured a natural cycle.

Walker Blanchard, Sr., Elizabeth

The Scottsdale Community College commit helped the Cardinals to the Class 3A state tournament, hitting .403 with a .494 on-base percentage.

Infielders

Damian Alvarez, Sr. SS, University

CHSAA’s Class 3A Player of the Year and centerpiece of UHS’s title team hit .546 with 26 extra-base hits; McLennan Community College commit.

Luc Gaca Thiele, Sr. 3B, Fossil Ridge

The Columbia commit batted .479 with a .585 on-base percentage and 33 RBIs as part of a dynamic infield duo alongside junior Brady Bradford.

Bret Baldwin, Jr. SS, Ralston Valley

The Washington commit hit .429 with a team-high seven homers while showcasing range, athleticism and arm strength from the middle infield.

Deion Cesario-Scott, Sr. 1B, Regis Jesuit

The Alabama A&M commit was a feared power presence in the Raiders’ lineup, batting .427 with seven homers, a .780 slugging and 1.344 OPS.

Cory Dean Carver, Sr. SS, Montezuma-Cortez

The Navy commit showcased speed, power and a high-contact approach, with a .580 average, seven homers, 21 steals and a .649 on-base percentage.

Matt Hegerle, Sr. SS, Bear Creek

The athletic UC Davis commit was the heartbeat of Bear Creek; he batted .477 with a .575 on-base percentage, 26 steals and a 1.267 OPS.

Chase Massey, Sr. SS, Regis Jesuit

The Continental League Player of the Year and Boston College commit led the Raiders with nine homers; hit .404 with an .830 slugging, 1.317 OPS.

Hunter Howard, Sr. SS, Palisade

The Glendale Community College commit hit .463 with six homers, 30 RBIs and only six Ks; also dominated on the mound with a 1.22 ERA.

Nick Hernandez, Sr. 2B, Pueblo County

The Hornets’ intelligent, dynamic leadoff hitter was the highlight of a deep lineup, hitting .435 with a .547 on-base percentage and 1.123 OPS.

Bryce Jackson, Sr. 1B, Broomfield

The Fort Hayes State commit was a force to be reckoned with in the box, with a team-high .480 average, .570 on-base percentage and six homers.

Outfielders

Zach Mediavilla, Sr., The Classical Academy

TCA’s do-everything speedy superstar batted .527 with seven triples, 25 RBIs, 31 steals and broke the school record for hits in season with 49.

Jackson Crawford, Jr., Mountain Vista

The Golden Eagles’ preeminent power hitter and USC commit blasted seven homers with a .349 average, .476 on-base percentage and a 1.211 OPS.

Dylan Paulson, Jr., Golden

The Demons’ top hitter batted .548 to lead Golden to its sixth straight Class 4A/3A Jeffco League title; had eight homers, 42 RBIs and a .946 slugging.

Silas Meuli, Sr., Legend

The Chandler Gilbert Community College commit was an offensive pillar for the Titans, batting .392 with four homers and a .568 on-base percentage.

Tanner Craytor, Sr., Fairview

The Knights’ slugger and Wofford commit led Class 5A with 11 homers to help Fairview to the Class 5A state tournament; batted .469, 1.660 OPS.

Baylor Schultz, Sr., Ponderosa

Schultz was key to a youth-laden Mustangs team that made the Class 4A Final 4, batting .393 and posting a 1.30 ERA in 12 games.

Tyce Smith, Sr., Cherry Creek

A multi-year cog in the middle of the Cherry Creek lineup, Smith led the Bruins with a .468 average, .602 on-base percentage and 1.279 OPS.

Jacob Olson, Sr., Regis Jesuit

The Oregon commit consistently flashed leather in center field for the Class 5A champs while hitting .388 with six homers, four triples and a .728 slugging.

Beau Friesen, Sr., Arvada West

A breakout star for the Wildcats en route to the Class 5A state title game, the San Diego pledge hit .438 with 44 RBIs and also blasted nine homers.

Utility

Maddox Burnett, Sr. RHP/UTL, Erie

A BYU commit who could hear his name called in the upcoming MLB Draft, Burnett hit .551 and also posted a 1.77 ERA with 105 Ks in 11 games.

Dane Dial, Soph. 3B/RHP, Pine Creek

Dial was key in Pine Creek’s Class 5A Final Four run, batting .400 with a .504 on-base percentage and seven homers; also had a 1.77 ERA in 12 games.

Aaron Jaquez, Sr. RHP/1B/OF, Falcon

The centerpiece on the Class 4A runner-ups was a two-way behemoth; McLennan Community College commit hit .629, and also had a 2.60 ERA.

Tristan Mullis, Jr. INF/OF, Pine Creek

Mullis paced Pine Creek with a .514 average, which included 6 triples, 6 homers, a .581 on-base percentage, .916 slugging and 1.497 OPS.

Andrew Henderson, Sr. 3B/RHP, Grand Junction

The Indiana State commit was the Tigers’ star en route to the Class 4A state tournament; hit .437, and posted a 1.53 ERA in 11 games with 86 Ks.

“Very nice,” he said, giving me a wry, knowing smile and a short laugh.

Some background is definitely required here.

In 2014, Weiss was managing the Rockies on a hazy, humid September Sunday morning at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. Somehow, Weiss, MLB.com’s Thomas Harding, and I started talking about our 1970s crushes. We mentioned, of course, Farrah Fawcett and her famous poster, Cheryl Tiegs and her poster, as well as other supermodels and Hollywood stars. I said I once had a poster of pop singer Linda Ronstadt.

Then came the bombshell.

“I had a crush on Barbara Streisand,” Thomas said. “I thought she was hot.”

Walt and I were aghast. As Walt pointed out, “Babs” had a nose like his own. No way Thomas was telling us the truth, right? To this day, insists he was.

The kicker came after the Rockies lost to the Cardinals that day. Walt pulled us aside and said, “You know, when I was going out to the mound to make a pitching change, I kept thinking about Barbra Streisand. Thanks a lot, Thomas.”

The point of my ramble down memory lane? My nearly 28-year career at The Denver Post ends Wednesday when the Rockies host the Red Sox at Coors Field. I’ve covered World Series, Super Bowls, Final Fours, Nuggets games and scores of high school state championships alongside Kyle Newman. In the end, my fondest memories are not about games, highlight reels, strategy, upsets, or scoops. My fondest memories are about people. It’s what I wrote about best.

Being a baseball beat writer is the most gratifying of any of the major sports beats, in my humble opinion. You get to know the people, from owners and managers to players and clubbies to broadcasters and fellow writers. Meanwhile, the walls between the NFL and the media grow thicker and taller with each passing year. I can’t imagine Broncos beat writers talking about their boyhood crushes with coach Sean Payton.

I was hired by The Post in October 1998, joining Adam Schefter as a Broncos No. 2 beat writer, just in time to cover John Elway’s second Super Bowl title. In the summer of 2005, I was yanked off the Broncos beat and moved to the Rockies, as the No. 2 writer behind current Post columnist Troy Renck. It was a demotion for me, no doubt.

My wife, Nancy, and I were shocked by the grind of the baseball beat, especially back in the days when The Post still traveled to cover the Rockies. We eventually embraced the lifestyle, though it wasn’t easy.

Covering a team afflicted with chronic losing wasn’t easy either. I covered the Rockies for nearly 20 years, and during that time, they had five winning seasons, made the playoffs four times, and made one magical run to the World Series in 2007.

I’ve had to rewrite more deadline game stories than I can count. The adage in the Coors Field press box: “The Rockies blew another lead. And they blew another lede.”

But, all in all, it’s been quite a wonderful ride. What follows are excerpts from some of my favorite stories I wrote for The Post. The common theme is people.

McCaffrey family legacy

When I started covering the Broncos, first for the Longmont Times-Call and then with The Post, training camp was still held at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley. The players stayed in one dorm, the media in another, and we shared the same cafeteria. Access to the players was incredible. I once interviewed Elway while riding in a golf cart as the fans screamed for autographs — Elway’s, not mine.

That’s how I got to know wide receiver Ed McCaffrey and his wife, Lisa. In 1999, I profiled their family’s rich sports legacy:

When 5-year-old Max McCaffrey plays soccer, his 3-year-old brother, Christian, can’t bear to watch.

“Christian is always trying to run out on the field to be with his big brother,” his dad said. “We have to keep reeling him back in.”

Christian can’t help it. The need for speed, the energy driving his little motor, the desire to follow the bouncing ball — they’re in his genes.

His grandfather won a silver medal in the 100-meter dash at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. Uncle Billy became a legend in the Pennsylvania Rust Belt and later won a national basketball championship with the Duke Blue Devils.

When she was a pixie in South Florida, Christian’s mom scored so many goals for her high school soccer team that her mug shot ended up in Sports Illustrated’s “Faces in the Crowd.”

Christian’s dad? All he’s done is win three Super Bowl rings, earn a trip to the Pro Bowl, develop a stiff-arm that could stop a rhinoceros, become one of the best receivers in Denver Broncos history and destroy forever the notion that white men can’t run.

Arenado’s SoCal roots

In 2016, Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado was a budding star. I traveled to his boyhood home of Lake Forest, in Orange County, California. While the Rockies hosted the Blue Jays at Coors Field, I sat in the living room of Fernando and Millie Arenado as they watched the game on TV. It was a remarkable day, topped off with a trip to El Toro High School, less than 10 minutes from the Arenado home. I spent an hour reminiscing with Mike Gonzalez, Arenado’s high school coach.

Here’s the beginning of my story about Arenado’s baseball roots:

LAKE FOREST, Calif. — The trim, stucco home looks like many others in this quiet, middle-class Southern California neighborhood. There is a basketball hoop out front and a beautifully tiled swimming pool in the backyard.

Step inside and you’re enveloped by warmth. Family photos cover every wall, every shelf, every nook and cranny. The family dog, a white Havanese named Mojito (“Mo” for short), hops up on the comfy couch to greet visitors.

Baseball is everywhere, too. Indeed, the home is something of an impromptu museum. Near the TV in the living room sits Nolan Arenado’s gleaming 2015 Silver Slugger Award. Open a nearby cabinet, and one of Arenado’s three Gold Glove Awards sits among a sea of memorabilia.

Likely more baseball stuff will be added after Tuesday night����ap All-Star Game in San Diego, where Arenado, the Rockies’ third baseman, will be appearing, the second year in a row he was voted in by fellow major-league players. Who knows? Perhaps an All-Star Game MVP trophy will be his newest baseball heirloom. At the very least, his All-Star Game jersey will find a place in the Arenado home.

Upstairs is the “Bonus Room,” as the family calls it. In the middle sits a pool table, now overflowing with framed photos, jerseys and signed baseballs. On the couch in front of a big-screen TV sits a Star Wars stormtrooper helmet. Back in the day, Arenado wore it while playing video games.

A day in the life of Buddy Black

I covered five managers in my time with the Rockies: Clint Hurdle, a force of nature and philosophy; Loquacious Jim Tracy, one of the nicest men I’ve ever met; Weiss, a fellow Bruce Springsteen fanatic; Bud Black, a walking baseball encyclopedia who’s beloved throughout the game; and current manager Warren Schaeffer, full of incredible passion and heart.

Of all of the Rockies’ managers, I know Black the best. We’re near the same age and share the same sense of humor. We still text frequently. In 2018, in the midst of a race for the National League West title, Black allowed me to go behind the scenes and chronicle a day in the life of a big-league manager:

It����ap the second week of September, the Rockies are chasing their first division title, and Bud Black has former Bronco Peyton Manning on his mind.

He’s trying to figure out a way to get the legendary quarterback to appear in a video that would play on the giant scoreboard at Coors Field as the Rockies make their run to a possible National League West crown.

“I want Peyton, waving his arms up and down, to get the crowd going,” Black says. “Hey, we don’t care about the snap count! We want it loud! ‘Omaha! Omaha!’ ”

Later in the afternoon, he’ll call in Julian Valentin, the director of social media, to see if there has been any progress on Project Peyton. (Valentin tells Black that it����ap being looked into).

Black’s office, down the hallway from the players’ spacious clubhouse, contains a comfy black-leather couch and a tidy desk. Photographs of Coors Field adorn the walls, including one that captures the joy of a young boy watching a game. Encased in a glass frame is the lineup and a baseball from Black’s first game as Rockies manager. It����ap dated April 3, 2017, a game in which the Rockies beat the Brewers at Milwaukee, 7-5.

Black has plenty on his to-do list, though he goes about his chores with a relaxed, easy manner. Colorado’s second-year manager, age 61, plans to watch video, meet with his coaches, chat with some players and confer with head trainer Keith Dugger. The night before, the Rockies hammered the Diamondbacks, 13-2. With nothing to stew over and no second-guesses haunting him, he got an excellent night����ap sleep. Today, he’s open to having a reporter shadow him, from arriving at the ballpark just after noon through another critical game that night vs. Arizona.

Helton gets the call

Todd Helton is the greatest player in Rockies history. He’s a complex, moody, smart and extremely funny man. His sense of humor can be cutting and takes some getting used to. Somehow, we bonded.

In January 2024, Helton invited Thomas and me to his home outside Knoxville, Tenn., to be there with his family and close friends when he got the call that he’d been elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. We all figured he’d get in, but there were no guarantees. It turned out to be one of the most memorable days of my career:

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Todd Helton, arms folded across his chest, nervously paced the living room of his home Tuesday afternoon.

“I haven’t been superstitious for 10 years, not since I retired,” the Rockies’ iconic first baseman said. “Today, I’m superstitious. I didn’t look at anything, I didn’t watch anything, I didn’t look at the internet.”

He could have spared himself the angst.

Because, fittingly, at 5:17 p.m. Eastern time, No. 17 got the call of a lifetime. Told that he had been elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Helton pumped his fist and finally took a deep breath.

“It����ap the greatest honor you can get as a baseball player,” Helton said. “Getting your number retired and getting elected to the Hall of Fame are the two greatest achievements you can get.”

Still, Helton wasn’t quite ready to let it all go.

“I’m going to go (crazy) when y’all leave,” he said.

The sweet-swinging Helton, the beloved heart and soul of the Rockies for 17 seasons and one of the most accomplished players of his era, received 79.7% of the vote, clearing the 75% bar required by the Hall of Fame and the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.

Matzek, ‘The Yips,’ and me

We’ve all got something. Mine is anxiety and depression, something I’ve dealt with for much of my adult life.

That’s why I was so interested in Tyler Matzek’s story. The former Rockies pitcher had such a bad case of the yips, brought on by performance anxiety, that it nearly ruined his baseball career. In December 2015, we met in a Southern California coffee shop and talked for nearly three hours. He was remarkably candid.

In 2021, he won a World Series as a shutdown reliever for the Braves. But before that, I wrote this story:

LAGUNA HILLS, Calif. — On Sept. 5, 2014, at Coors Field, Tyler Matzek pitched a three-hit shutout against the San Diego Padres. Poised and confident, and throwing a 94 mph fastball with graceful ease, the Rockies’ rookie left-hander was dominant. Over his final six starts, Matzek went 4-2 with a 1.55 ERA. He looked like the Rockies’ ace of the future.

Yet demons lurked in the corners of Matzek’s mind, and by the time he took the mound for the Rockies’ 2015 home opener April 10, he was headed for trouble.

“Even when things were going the right way, there was this overwhelming stress inside me that just kept building and building and building,” Matzek said recently while sipping coffee at a Starbucks in Southern California. “(Then) I just couldn’t hold that stress any longer and my game collapsed.”

Matzek was suffering from performance anxiety.

It wrecked him on the mound and even began to creep into his everyday life.

“My wife, Lauren, said it was our worst time, relationship-wise, because I was so tight, so stressed, just waiting to explode from this thing,” Matzek said. “She knew it wasn’t about her, but it was hard.”

But the quiet, intelligent 25-year-old confronted his condition head-on, confident he would fulfill the promise that prompted the Rockies to make him the 11th pick in the first round of the 2009 draft. He is determined to compete for a job in the Rockies’ starting rotation in spring training.

Thanks, mom

The day after I cover my final Rockies game, Nancy and I are flying to Southern California. We’ll join my extended family to scatter the ashes of my mom, Anita, and my dad, Dusty, in Laguna Beach, their favorite vacation spot.

This is my final chance to say thanks, sharing past stories with you:

Somewhere up there, my mom is smiling.

Ryan McMahon hit a home run for the Rockies in their 4-3 win over the Giants on Thursday night. McMahon broke out of a horrendous slump.

“RyMac” was my mom’s second-favorite Rockie, right behind Todd Helton. Why? Partly because he’s Irish, mostly because I like RyMac.

She was thrilled when Helton invited me to his Knoxville, Tenn., home to witness his Hall of Fame phone call in January 2024. When my wife, Nancy, and I were invited to Helton’s party in Cooperstown last July, my mom felt like she was there.

During her last years, I watched Rockies road games with her when I could. She rarely asked why the team was winning or losing. Strategy was not her thing. She always asked, “Is so and so a good guy?”

That����ap the kind of sports fan my mom was. She knew nothing about OPS, yards after catch, 3-point percentages, or point spreads. She just liked how players played and hoped they were good people. She loved Dr. J, Nolan Arenado and Floyd Little.

In the Broncos’ infancy, when Little was their only star and the game plan was “Little off left tackle, Little off right tackle,” my mom would shout, “Don’t hurt Floyd!”

In her later years, she’d tried to stay up late enough to watch manager Bud Black’s postgame news conference, not because she wanted to hear his explanations but to hear me ask a question.

Thanks, dad

I wrote this journal a few months before my dad died in May 2022:

What do you get your dad for his 90th birthday?

I’ve been pondering that question for the past few weeks. I kept striking out.

Then, as I perused the web, I came across a cool T-shirt. Cardinals red, the shirt displays the image of Stan Musial, leaning on a baseball bat. The script simply reads: The MAN.

How many sports-related T-shirts, sweatshirts and books have I given my dad over the years? I’ve lost track. It doesn’t matter. My dad’s going to love his “Stan the Man” T-shirt.

A father and son bonding over sports is not unique, but it is different for every father and son.

Walter Patrick “Dusty” Saunders was born on Sept. 24, 1931, in Denver. He was a lonely kid. His father died when he was 9 years old, and his mom died when he was 10.

In the 1940s, my dad’s companions were the radio, books and sports. He became a St. Louis Cardinals fan because he could pick up the strong signal from KMOX radio in St. Louis. Musial was his favorite player.

In 2006, my first full year on the Rockies beat, I took my dad to St. Louis for Father’s Day to watch the Rockies play the Cardinals in the first year of the new Busch Stadium. He chatted with Clint Hurdle and Todd Helton. After the game, my dad, MLB.com Rockies beat writer Thomas Harding and I had dinner at former Cardinal Mike Shannon’s restaurant. Thomas and I still talk about that day.

Jalen Brunson has become the face of the NBA after leading New York to its first championship in 53 years. And he had help — re-signing OG Anunoby and trading for Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges — because the star guard took $113 million less when he signed a four-year extension in 2024.

He wanted the freedom not to be burdened by what could happen if he were injured. It gave the Knicks financial elasticity to surround him with better players.

So, the Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic should follow this blueprint. That is what I have read and heard over the last week. And it could not be more incorrect.

The compensation model in professional sports is designed to suppress players’ earning power. There are caps when drafted, required waiting periods to enter free agency and short careers.

Listen, if a star wants to take less, it’s his choice.

Brunson wanted lifetime security sooner, and the byproduct was that it benefited the Knicks’ roster-building.

Jokic, 31, was a second-round draft pick. He made $4.129 million in his first three seasons. And he has maxed out his contracts since, leaving him with $302.6 million in career earnings.

When Jokic broke out as a star in his second season, he did not receive a raise.

Why should he take a haircut now?

He is a three-time MVP. He has earned every cent coming his way. Is it his responsibility to create financial wiggle room?

It’s unfair to ask if those conversations were not had last summer with Jamal Murray, who did not play like a max player until this past season.

Jokic is eligible to sign an extension this summer worth either $214 million over three years or $278 million over four seasons. There is a reason he declined to sign last year, to put himself in this position.

It is silly money. We all get it. But he is the greatest Nuggets player ever. If anyone deserves the biggest check, it is him.

He is also part of a union. There is a responsibility to take the most as an elite star because of the market it sets for younger and future players.

What bothers me is that it falls on the player, and if he doesn’t acquiesce, he is not obsessed with winning. Well, Jokic won a title. So, there’s that.

And he has made the Kroenke ownership group a ton of money through sellout crowds, merchandise and playoff runs. Why is it OK to believe Jokic should take a pay cut and not demand the Kroenkes enter the second apron?

It feels like a double standard.

The parade had not reached its conclusion down the Canyon of Heroes in New York City, and Knicks owner James Dolan proclaimed on WFAN that “There’s certain things in the NBA that you’d have to be suicidal to do. One of them is the second apron. Cannot go into the second apron.”

The penalties for doing so are harsh, like restrictions on picking up mid-level exception players and trading first-round picks for seven years out.

It is messy. No doubt. But that is the system the NBA created to prevent dynasties.

Brunson did what he felt was right. Good for him. But, just because he won a championship, his decision should not set a precedent.

Feeling a Draft: The chances of the MLBPA agreeing to a 12-round draft that makes high school players ineligible until two years removed from graduation are almost zero. It would help college programs, turning them into the minor leagues, a model that has long existed for the NFL. But college coaches are measured by winning at the highest levels, not development. So would they have the players’ best interest in mind? And what guarantee is there that MLB won’t turn around and cut even more minor league teams, eliminating jobs? Welcome to labor talks. It’s going to be a greasy next eight months.

What took so long? Nike is finally preparing to release Caitlin Clark’s signature shoe, years after the sides entered into a partnership. The Caitlin 1 goes on sale on Oct. 1. I will never understand how Nike, specifically, and the WNBA, generally, were not prepared to capitalize and maximize Clark’s star power. She remains a great player, but the mania is tempered.

Fans saw him on Saturday’s probable list and began hitting up friends or searching online for tickets.

At the same time, a question arrives via email and text: Will the Rockies ever have their version of Skenes?

They did. In 2010.

Ubaldo Jimenez posted a 19-8 record with a 2.88 ERA.

He threw a no-hitter at Atlanta. In the span of seven starts, he allowed fewer than two hits four times.  He started the All-Star Game in Anaheim when he was 15-1 with a 2.20 ERA.

His four-seam fastball averaged 96.1 mph, per PITCHf/x data. His sinker — a bowling ball with devil’s horns — averaged 96.6 mph. For comparison, Skenes’ heater checks in at 97.1 mph this season.

Jimenez became Kevin Brown with Greg Maddux’s command, working 221 2/3 innings in 2010, third-most in Rockies’ history.

It is no coincidence that Colorado made the playoffs in 2007 and 2009 with Jimenez in the rotation. Because of an awkward exit in a trade, Jimenez remains one of the most underappreciated Rockies ever. He went 56-45 with a 3.66 ERA in six seasons, including 30-19 with a 3.66 ERA at Coors Field in 67 games.

The Rockies need a fire-breathing dragon.

They thought they had one in Chase Dollander, but he is facing elbow surgery.

With Skenes set to pitch at Coors Field — he is comfortable in Colorado after starring at Air Force — I figured it was a good time to catch up with Jimenez.

He still follows the Rockies — he took the mound in Denver last August when the Savannah Bananas were in town — and has ideas on how to help.

His first suggestion: stop letting starters run from the problem.

“In my opinion, they have to develop pitchers for Coors Field. They should avoid the mistake of emulating what the rest of MLB organizations are doing when it comes to preparation. They have to implement their own way,” Jimenez said. “To be a consistent starter in Colorado, your body requires endurance to resist the hardships of altitude and adaptations of going on the road. All the pitchers who were consistent in any kind of way — Pedro Astacio, Jorge De La Rosa, Jhoulys Chacin, German Marquez, myself — we all ran distance the day after our games. I am an avid believer in running distance to stay healthy. And I always tell people who go against it, check baseball history and see how the all-time great ones lasted — running distance! ”

Jimenez understands that his advice jogs against the grain.

Today’s pitchers typically use short bursts and explosive movements in training to mimic moves made on the mound. There is no denying it has spiked velocity. It is impossible to watch a game and not see a pitcher flirt with triple digits or, in the case of Milwaukee’s Jacob Misiorowski, live there.

But at what cost?

Dollander, if and when he has surgery, will miss the remainder of this season and possibly all of 2027.

“I know. It’s so bad to think about that. I saw him pitch a couple of games,” Jimenez said. “And he has great stuff.”

Though the upcoming draft could change things, there is no other Dollander in the Rockies’ system. Brody Brecht, drafted in 2024, brings heat, but is struggling with command at Class-A Spokane.

Jimenez prescribes “an attitude for altitude.” He looks across the sport and connects injuries to training.

Brian Jordan, a former Rockies strength-and-conditioning coach in the majors and minors for 15 years, saw firsthand how Jimenez’s program paid dividends.

“He was very gifted and a very hard worker. I would agree that his running and lifting helped with his durability, while he was still explosive,” said Jordan, the owner and director of sports performance at Peak 303 in Englewood. “While not every pitcher could or should do the program he did, I absolutely agree that generally speaking mistakes are being made with how pitchers are being trained. When you sell out solely for performance, the trade-off is less durability. We are definitely seeing that at all levels, not just at the professional level.”

The Rockies raced off to a surprising start in April because of their pitching — 4.17 staff ERA — but the transmission dropped. Due to injuries to Jose Quintana, Kyle Freeland, Ryan Feltner and Dollander, they have been forced to lean on younger arms and too hard on the bullpen. Colorado is 14-29 since May 1 with an ERA well north of 6.

“It has been a reminder that Coors Field games have more hits. And there are more home runs in the warm weather. The toll is a hard test,” Rockies general manager Josh Byrnes said on returning to work in Colorado for the first time since 2002. “We have looked at how many days off the (relievers) have had, and how many multiple-inning games they’ve had. We are still exploring and learning.”

There is no perfect formula. Even in seasons when the Rockies have pitched well, they have struggled to repeat their success.

But Jimenez is adamant that Colorado’s environment demands the proper baseline.

“I know that we should adapt to new times and use every resource to get better. And that pitchers must adjust preparation to what works for them. But you can’t eradicate the foundation of pitching longevity. Why do boxers run distance when preparing for a fight when they don’t run in the ring? To have the endurance to throw punches for 12 rounds,” Jimenez said. “In 50, 100 years from now the next generation will examine how pitching in this era changed so dramatically, and they’ll be asking who was the ‘genius’ who came up with developing every pitcher as a reliever.”

No power pitcher has ever pitched better in Denver than Jimenez. Even Skenes allowed four runs in five innings in his lone start at Coors Field last August.

It remains a baseball tragedy that Jimenez failed to become the Rockies’ first 20-game winner in 2010, a milestone missed because of bad luck, including a dropped popup, and meager offensive support.

That he remains the zenith explains the problem. The Rockies need more like him. It has been 19 years since Jimenez, along with left-hander Franklin Morales, was promoted from the minors and helped Colorado win 21 of 22 games to reach the World Series.

The Rockies have made significant year-over-year progress this season, but are still losing more games than anyone else.

This can change. But not without better starting pitching.

They need another Ubaldo. Or two.

“They have one of the greatest fan bases who support them and wait for the team every year (to improve),” Jimenez said. “They have many staffers in the organization who have worked so hard to reach the goal of winning a championship in Denver. Hopefully, they put it all together soon and God opens the door once again.”

Cole Carrigg’s off to a pretty solid start in his MLB career, but why was he promoted instead of Charlie Condon or Zac Veen? Was he just playing that much better than them? Is it to manage their service time in the majors? A little of both? Thanks.

— Marshall, Parker

Marshall, since you submitted your question, Carrigg has been sensational. It’s not about service time.

In the Rockies’ excruciating loss to the Cubs on Monday night, he drove in all four runs and hit an eighth-inning, three-run home run that should have stood as the game-winner.

Carrigg plays with a swagger and an edge, and in that regard, he reminds me of Troy Tulowitzki as a rookie. I asked one of Tulo’s former teammates if he shared my opinion.

“I see some,” the teammate responded. “Tulo wasn’t on the razor’s edge of out of control like Carrigg.”

Anyway, to your question, the Rockies front office sees a lot of things that fans don’t see, and that I don’t see or consider. Paul DePodesta, the president of baseball operations, recently told me that they take a hard look at “the process” a player has in the minors as a major part of their decision on when to promote a player.

Carrigg has proven that he was ready. I think promotions for Condon and Veen could very well depend on what happens as the trade deadline nears.

Patrick, I heard you’re leaving soon. It’s been a pleasure reading your coverage all these years. The Denver sports community is losing an absolute legend. What are some of the most memorable moments of your career?

— Ryan C., Aurora

Ryan, thanks for your kind comments.

Leaving The Post after nearly 28 years is a hard and emotional decision, but it was time. The buyout I was offered made me accelerate my retirement timeline. The baseball beat, particularly covering a losing Rockies team over the last few years, has been a grind. Plus, the industry is changing fast, and I’m becoming a bit of a dinosaur.

I have far too many memories to mention here in any detail, so I will list a few: Rocktober; covering all three of the Broncos’ Super Bowl title wins; watching Nolan Arenado play third base; spending time in the dugout talking baseball and music with Bud Black; being at Todd Helton’s house in Tennessee when he got the call that he was elected to the Hall of Fame; working with some incredible colleagues, especially Kyle Newman and Troy Renck; crazy, fun times in the press box with the crew; covering games at all 30 major league ballparks; having Coors Field as my office on perfect summer nights; and forming a friendship with MLB.com’s Thomas Harding, with whom I’ve had a bromance for 25 years.

I’ll be writing a farewell story soon, so keep an eye out for it.

Did you expect T.J. Rumfield to be our breakout star this season? I certainly didn’t, but, boy, is it nice to have a solution at first base after so many years of failed experiments. Do you think he’ll win the Rookie of the Year award?

— Mike, Denver

Mike, I was excited about Rumfield after seeing him play in spring training and reading the reports on his skill set. As I wrote in February: “T.J. Rumfield was a big-league first baseman trapped in Triple-A limbo.”

But I have been surprised by the quality of his at-bats; he’s been hitting like a seasoned veteran. His glove work at first base has been outstanding.

However, I don’t think he’ll be named the National League’s top rookie, for a few reasons.

First, he plays in Colorado for a team with the worst record in baseball and he’s not going to get much attention from the baseball writers who vote for the award.

Second, he plays his home games at Coors Field, which will automatically disqualify him in the minds of some voters. That’s a shame, because he’s hit just as well on the road as at home. At Coors, he’s slashing .263/.353/.449 (.802 OPS), with five homers and 22 RBIs. On the road, he’s slashing .287/.359/.465 with four homers and 12 RBIs.

Third, there are several strong candidates, led by Cardinals second baseman JJ Wetherholt, Reds first baseman Sal Stewart, and Mets right-hander Nolan McLean.

Are you surprised, disappointed, or comfortably numb by how the Rockies have performed so far this season?

— Ed Helinski, Auburn, N.Y.

Comfortably numb? You must be a Pink Floyd fan.

Anyway, I’m not sure my characterization is on your list. I would say mildly encouraged, but the state of the pitching staff is a huge concern.

Hey Patrick! Who do you think has the best shot at becoming our lone representative at the All-Star Game? I thought it was going to be Mickey Moniak before he went on IL. I feel like our best shots are Hunter Goodman, Antonio Senzatela or Tomoyuki Sugano.

— Ryan, Aurora

Ryan, the Rockies will have only one representative, and it’s going to be Goodman for the second consecutive season. As I write this, he’s slashing .255/.327/.537 (.864 OPS) with 27 RBIs.

The Rockies rode rookie first baseman TJ Rumfield’s two-run home run in the fourth inning to beat the Cubs 5-2 and snap a 10-game losing streak at Wrigley Field.

Colorado’s bullpen, which suffered a nightmarish meltdown in a 5-4 loss to the Cubs on Monday night, delivered 4 1/3 scoreless innings, and Jaden Hill pitched a perfect ninth to record his first career save.

Key moments: The fourth inning was huge. Trailing 2-0, Colorado got a leadoff single from Jake McCarthy, an RBI double from Willi Castro, and Rumfield’s homer to take a lead it didn’t relinquish.

Who’s hot: Outfielder Jake McCarthy, finally healthy after a stomach illness, hit 3 for 4 and scored a run in the fourth. He’s hitting .291 with a .784 OPS.

Starter Ryan Feltner rebounded from a poor start in his last game and a rocky start on Tuesday night to put Colorado in a position to win. The right-hander gave up two runs on six hits, with three walks and seven strikeouts over 4 2/3 innings.

In Colorado’s 9-3 loss to the Cubs at Coors Field last week, he gave up six runs on four hits across 4 1/3 innings. Tuesday night, Feltner served up a leadoff homer to sizzling-hot Pete Crow-Armstrong and gave up another run in the second before settling in.

Rookie center fielder Cole Carrigg made a terrific catch in center field in the eighth, going into the ivy to rob Michael Busch of extra bases.

Who’s not: Carrigg, at the plate. He went 0 for 3 with three strikeouts, though he did draw a walk and steal second base in the eighth.

Shortstop Ezequiel Tovar continues to play excellent defense, but his struggles at the plate continue. He went 0 for 3 with a K, though he did draw a walk and score a run in the fifth. Tovar has struck out at least once in 16 straight games, the second-longest streak of his career. He fanned in 18 consecutive games from Aug. 8-29, 2024.

Worth noting: Outfielder Mickey Moniak is on the road back from injury. He’s been on the 10-day injured list since May 22 with right ankle tendinitis, but he’s making progress. He’s scheduled for Triple-A Albuquerque rehab games on Thursday through Saturday. He’ll return to Denver on June 21 to be evaluated by the medical staff, manager Warren Schaeffer told reporters in Chicago.

Pitching probables

Wednesday: Rockies LHP Sean Sullivan (0-0, 0.00 ERA) at Cubs RHP Javier Assad (4-1, 3.99), 6:05 p.m.
Thursday: Off day
Friday: Pirates RHP Bubba Chandler (2-7, 4.76) at Rockies LHP Kyle Freeland (1-7, 7.98), 6:40 p.m.
Saturday: Pirates RHP Paul Skenes (6-6, 2.85) at Rockies RHP Tomoyuki Sugano (7-4, 4.79), 7:10 p.m.
TV: Rockies.TV
Radio: KOA 850 AM/94.1 FM

The Rockies no longer embarrass themselves with split-squad spring training lineups or pitchers who need a compass to find the strike zone. It had grown so odorous, seven straight losing seasons, three consecutive with 100 losses. The spectacular failure was made worse by leadership hilariously trying to camouflage incompetence with arrogance.

The on-field product has made strides. The Rockies entered Saturday 26-44. They did not reach this win total last season until July 23 when they were 26-76.

It makes me think the 2027 or 2028 Purple Rox could become the 2026 Chicago White Sox.

All of which means nothing.

And the best thing is that the new front office recognizes this.

“In general, there has been some improvement. But, we have to be realistic. We have a ways to go,” general manager Josh Byrnes told The Post. “We have to get better, create something sustainable and maintain high standards as we chase that.”

Approaching the midpoint of the season, the Rockies are likable and watchable. They are in such a better place that it is easy to forget the mountains left to climb. Colorado is on pace for 60 wins. The fact that number is encouraging provides a reminder of how awful things had become.

Crowing about avoiding 100 losses is like bragging about being valedictorian when home-schooled.

It is why Byrnes was reluctant to acknowledge the inching forward.

Truth is: what have they done?

There are pockets of success that should not be ignored, like first baseman T.J. Rumfield’s rookie-of-the-year candidacy, Antonio Senzatela’s remarkable conversion from MLB’s worst starter to a dominant reliever, Willi Castro’s versatility and Cole Carrigg’s caffeinated energy, his promotion a reflection of the organization’s emphasis on swing decisions that will translate to the big leagues — 15 % strikeout rate, 11 % walk rate in Triple-A.

Of course, there is the gnashing of teeth about the pitching. The Rockies play at altitude and, at times, without gravity.

The historically strong April for the rotation seems like forever ago because of injuries to Chase Dollander — he is likely facing UCL surgery in his right elbow — and Jose Quintana (elbow) and the Coors Field fatigue of Kyle Freeland.

Sean Sullivan provided a jolt in his big league debut on Friday, but it is hardly soothing balm on this headache.

Forget Byrnes and president Paul DePodesta; Connie Mack and Branch Rickey were not fixing the Rockies overnight.

But the franchise belongs to the new leaders, and it is time for them to flex their muscles.

The trade deadline is not until Aug. 3, but there is little to be gained by waiting.

Other than catcher Hunter Goodman and Dollander, no player should be untouchable.

The Rockies have started calling around, piecing together potential fits and wants, aiming to accelerate Colorado’s return to contention.

“We are constantly in touch with other teams. The brainstorming is constant. Some are more motivated than others,” Byrnes said.

Byrnes showed shrewdness in acquiring Rumfield for forgettable reliever Angel Chivilli. They recently landed minor league reliever Andrew Baker from the Phillies for international bonus pool space. Don’t be surprised if the right-hander is in the big leagues in a few months.

Moves of all sizes must be considered and executed over the next seven weeks. This is why DePodesta and Byrnes were hired. They have friends across baseball who will actually take their calls.

The biggest chip is shortstop Ezequiel Tovar. He has $50 million remaining on his contract after this season. That cost certainty is the reason for not dealing him, and why he could land a haul of prospects if the acquiring club believes he will hit.

It is obvious Senzatela will be dealt. Getting a future major league piece back is paramount.

If somebody wants to overpay for Seth Halvorsen so the Rockies get two relievers like him, pull the lever.

Mickey Moniak provides professional at-bats and power. But the timing could be right to move him for a legitimate prospect given the way Charlie Condon and Zac Veen are pushing the envelope in Triple-A. Or keep Moniak and package Veen as part of a bigger deal.

Nobody wants to sell low on center fielder Brenton Doyle, but contenders covet defense. Colorado has to listen.

The Rockies’ leaders don’t have all the answers. I prefer those making decisions have fallibility and humility. It makes their efforts thorough and exhaustive, adjectives long a stranger on Blake Street.

The deadline and the July draft are the touchstones for overhauling a franchise. For too long in Colorado, they brought dread, inactivity and embarrassment, or all of the above.

It is on these front office executives to change the narrative.

Their knowledge, their experience, their willingness to take chances on deals and waiver claims, like Troy Johnston, will be needed to revive a franchise that has made ignoring baseball a local pastime.

The job started in the winter. But the real work begins now, where right moves can put the Rockies on the White Sox’s trajectory. Chicago went 41-121 and 60-102 over the past two seasons, and is on pace to finish 88-74 this year.

Rox to Sox? That works.

“You can get out of it. Detroit kind of flipped it. Miami is doing better. Baltimore tanked and turned it around,” Byrnes said. “And the White Sox are showing what can happen with savvy moves. We have made progress, but we are nowhere near where we want and need to be.”

But how high has it climbed? And how much better must the offense become to make the Rockies a team with legitimate playoff aspirations? The results have been mixed.

Manager Warren Schaeffer said recently that the Rockies had made “incredible strides,” crediting hitting coaches Brett Pill and Jordan Pacheco, along with Paul DePodesta, president of baseball operations, and general manager Josh Byrnes, for the improvements.

To review, this is the kind of offense Schaeffer envisions.

“We want to put the ball in play, because we were punching out so doggone much last year,” he said. “We want to move the line (by) using the bunt hit, walking, stealing bags, and just playing total offense. That’s what I believe in. That’s what I’ll always believe. Our personnel is directed more toward that this year, for sure.”

The Blake Street Bombers aren’t coming back, so the Rockies are trying to create a well-rounded offense that pressures the opposition and doesn’t go dormant on the road so often.

“Over 162 games, it might seem like slow progress to the outside world, but we track it and it’s going well,” Schaeffer said.

OK, time to crunch the numbers and see just how high the offense has climbed.

Big picture

Colorado entered the weekend series against the Athletics in Las Vegas with a 26-43 record and was on pace to finish 61-102. After 69 games last season, the Rockies were 13-56, and ultimately finished 43-119.

The Rockies’ minus-424 run differential in 2025 was the worst in baseball’s modern era (since 1900), surpassing the 1932 Boston Red Sox (minus-349). No other team has posted a minus-400 run differential at any point in a season in the modern era. Currently, the Rockies have a minus-100 run differential and are on pace to finish with a minus-235.

Slash line

Last season, Colorado’s .237 average, .293 on-base percentage, .386 slugging percentage, and .679 OPS were all the lowest in franchise history.

Things are looking up. Entering the weekend, the Rockies’ slash line was .249/.319/.396 with a .715 OPS. Not an offensive juggernaut by any means — by comparison, the mighty Dodgers are hitting .264/.346/.443 with a .789 OPS — but an improvement.

Clutch hitting

The 2025 Rockies batted .233 with runners in scoring position, the second-lowest average in the majors and the lowest in franchise history. Colorado’s 29 home runs with runners in scoring position were tied for 27th in the majors and tied for the lowest in a full season in franchise history with the 2013 club.

There has been marked improvement this season. The Rockies are hitting .258 with runners in scoring position, ranking 11th in the majors. However, Colorado’s 12 homers with runners in scoring position rank 26th.

Thievery

Schaeffer vowed that the Rockies would steal more bases, and they have. Through their first 66 games, they had swiped 53 bags, their most since 2000 when they had 63 stolen bases in 66 games.

The Rockies rank 10th in the majors. Last season, they finished with 87, ranking 23rd.

Swings and whiffs

Cleaning up all of the ugly, empty at-bats remains one of DePodesta’s top priorities.

“I think foundationally, we as an organization needed to have more plate discipline,” he said last Sunday. “This past year, our chase rate was the highest in baseball — not just in the big leagues, but also in Triple-A, also in Double-A, also in High-A, also in Low-A. So we have a lot of room to make up, just to be on par with some of our competitors in that space.”

Like Schaeffer, DePodesta believes that putting the ball in play is key, especially at Coors Field, where bloop singles, as well as doubles and triples into the alleys, can make life miserable for opposing pitchers.

“We just need to take advantage of all the holes that are out there in the outfield,” DePodesta said. “We need to be able to put more balls in play. In order to do that, we need to swing at better pitches to hit, and we’ve started to do that, which I think has been really encouraging.”

“We’ve started to do that,” is the key phrase here. Last season, the Rockies’ 1,531 strikeouts were the third-most in club history and second-most in the majors behind the Angels (1,627). This season, the Rockies have the fifth most with 621 and are on pace for 1,458. That’s an improvement, though not a massive improvement.

Last season, Colorado finished with a 51.0 swing percentage, a 31.7 chase percentage, and a 29.0 whiff percentage, all the highest marks in the majors.

There have been only incremental improvements this season.  The whiff percentage has dropped to 25.9% (12th highest), but the 51.1% swing rate remains the highest, as does the 34.4% chase rate.

Power supply

The Rockies are still not putting the ball over the wall with much frequency. The 2025 Rockies hit 160 home runs, ranking 25th in the majors and tied for the seventh-fewest for a full season in franchise history (also 2008). This season, Colorado has hit 67 homers (tied for 21st with San Diego) and is on pace to hit just 157 homers.

Curiously, and ominously, the Rockies have hit just 34 home runs at high-altitude Coors Field this season, ranking 19th in the majors. The Rockies are counting on the return of Mickey Moniak from an injured ankle and more homers from rookies like TJ Rumfield and Cole Carrigg to boost the power supply.