How low can the Rockies go? After historically bad start, ‘spectacular failure’ is on the table

For one afternoon the Rockies clubhouse went from funereal to celebratory Believe Cher s electropop hit blared from the speakers Laughter replaced despair Smiles reappeared You guys can seemingly hear it now we re in pretty good spirits rookie Chase Dollander revealed after pitching the Rockies to a - domination over Atlanta on Wednesday afternoon before at Coors Field The accomplishment snapped an eight-game losing streak Obviously losing is not fun Dollander continued But at the same time we know that we re capable of winning and we haven t put a winning product on the field So that s exactly what we did this day Such moments have been minimal and far between for the Rockies so far this spring So much so that the franchise is now chasing baseball infamy Colorado went - in its first games tying with five other teams the Phillies Red Sox Pirates Cubs and Tigers for the second-worst -game start in Major League Baseball s modern era since Only the Orioles who opened the season with consecutive losses started worse - Even the White Sox who set the major league record with losses last season bettered the Rockies start opening the year - Dollander only and with just five starts on his big-league resume doesn t feel the weight of the losses But veteran left-hander Kyle Freeland sure does The Denver native who grew up dreaming about pitching for his hometown association signed a five-year million contract in April believing the Rockies would eventually be winners But they are hurtling toward their seventh consecutive losing season A third straight -loss campaign appears viable too And perhaps even the worst season in Rockies history with the club already ahead of the club s -loss pace I take it very personally as I assume anyone in my situation would Freeland revealed This is the organization I want to win with I signed up for five more years to be a part of this I want to win here and be a part of this but we are going in the wrong direction Statistics illustrate Freeland s point Entering Thursday night s match at San Francisco the Rockies had not only the worst record in the majors but also the worst run differential minus- lowest batting average and majority of strikeouts Colorado s organization ERA was the third-highest trailing only Miami and Baltimore Fielding touted by owner Dick Monfort before the start of the season as having a chance to be the best in the history of the contest has been spotty Colorado s errors were the third-most behind only the Red Sox and Athletics As legendary manager Casey Stengel declared about the Mets gang which famously lost games Can t anybody here play this match And it doesn t get any easier Over their next games through June the Rockies will not face an opponent with a current record below Plus the Rockies reside in the National League West the toughest division in baseball where only the Rockies own a losing record Hall of Fame baseball writer Tim Kurkjian knows about a group going south in a hurry In Kurkjian was a young beat writer covering the Orioles for the Baltimore Sun Those O s opened the season with straight losses en passage to a - campaign I m at least in the discussion for the greater part losing competition stories written by anyone in the s joked Kurkjian now a senior writer at ESPN com and analyst for ESPN s Baseball Tonight broadcasts I have experience with this unfortunately It was the biggest challenge of my beat writing career and I tried to do it properly I knew a lot of people were reading about the Orioles It seemed like nothing went the Orioles way during their -game losing streak Here manager Frank Robinson argues a call with the umpire as Eddie Murray looks on during an O s contest versus the Kansas City Royals Gene Sweeney Jr Baltimore Sun file photo The O s attracted national attention and became the butt of jokes In Event as Milwaukee beat Baltimore - Brewers announcer Bob Uecker quipped The President will call when the Orioles absolutely win a encounter Unfortunately it will be someone like President Manuel Noriega of Panama During the Orioles losing streak Kurkjian announced it was challenging to come up with fresh questions after every meeting What made it hard was that this was a veteran squad he disclosed They had Cal Ripken Jr Eddie Murray both Hall of Famers and Fred Lynn on that crew These guys had been used to winning had been to the World Series so that made it so much harder On April when the Orioles in the end broke the losing streak by blanking the White Sox - there was a mock celebration after the competition with several O s pouring cranberry juice on each other Kurkjian however didn t sense any gratification There was no elation after that championship because while they were relieved it was over they were embarrassed by it he reported Kurkjian doesn t pretend to be an expert on the Rockies However he senses that the bulk baseball pundits and executives are not shocked by the club s current state I think the average person in the business looks at this and sees on a large number of levels a spectacular failure he announced I just don t see any other way to see this But for what it s worth I also don t sense that anyone is taking great contentment in watching this Rockies manager Bud Black who remained remarkably upbeat during the -game swoon acknowledges that his company is wearing it There is frustration sure Black Guys are angry Guys are ticked off All of the adjectives you want to throw out there These guys are competitors regardless of the group we have These guys are professional baseball players who want to do well It just hasn t happened as a group We just don t have enough guys playing well Colorado Rockies third base coach infield coach Warren Schaeffer left and manager Bud Black in the dugout before the match against the Atlanta Braves at Coors Field in Denver on Wednesday April Photo by Andy Cross The Denver Post Colorado is in a semi-youth movement and the win-loss record reflects the inexperience The Rockies had five players make their debut in April right-handed pitchers Zach Agnos and Juan Mejia catcher Braxton Fulford outfielder Zac Veen and Dollander There have been injuries too Gold Glove shortstop Ezequiel Tovar has missed more than a dozen games with a bruised hip His return is pending Two-time Gold Glove center fielder Brenton Doyle missed games because of a quad strain and time on the bereavement list to deal with family matters Thairo Estrada signed to be the starting second baseman has yet to play a event as he recovers from a right wrist fracture suffered in spring training Lefty starter Austin Gomber has missed games as he deals with a shoulder injury and is not close to returning Then there is Kris Bryant the hard-luck designated hitter lavished with a seven-year million contract three seasons ago The NL MVP has played just of games since signing that deal and is once again on the injured list due to chronic low-back issues with no timetable for a return I m going to remain optimistic that K B is going to return and come back healthy and ready to contribute Black explained for the umpteenth time after Bryant went on the IL on April I still think there s a hitter in there a hit tool and an on-base component Until Bryant literally produces he ll be the symbol of Colorado s current failures The two worst seasons in Rockies history going on three have come since Monfort gave Bryant the biggest free-agent contract for a position athlete in franchise history But the Rockies woes are not solely the outcome of injuries or Bryant s inability to deliver on his big deal Veterans such as third baseman Ryan McMahon and starting pitcher German Marquez are off to the worst starts of their careers McMahon entered the San Francisco series with a hitless streak of at-bats the longest such streak by a position sportsman in franchise history surpassing Desi Relaford s at-bat streak in July of Marquez an All-Star in went into San Francisco carrying the baggage of a career-worst five-game losing streak during which he had a ERA the the majority runs he has allowed in a five-start span in his career The fans have noticed After their first home games the Rockies are averaging fans per challenge at Coors Field ranking th in the majors The Rockies have not finished in the bottom half of MLB attendance since the club s only World Series season However the season followed the terrible seasons of and and it took time for the Rockies to regain their fan base It s terrible and frustrating but I will still take my kids to a meager games reported Centennial s Peter Harris I should be able to get good seats for cheap which is a plus I remember going to lots of games in when they were terrible and honestly it built my fandom ahead of the World Series run two years later Other fans have thrown in the towel Honestly it breaks my heart for our city and the players disclosed Miguel Breceda of Aurora I haven t felt motivated to go back to the stadium since the Nolan Arenado bargain in February Even watching games on TV isn t the same I used to make sure I didn t miss a single Charlie Blackmon walk-up I never used to miss a match Now I might check the outcome but I m usually checked out by the fifth inning Kyle Freeland of the Colorado Rockies falls to the ground after Michael Toglia make a force out of Brice Turang of the Milwaukee Brewers at first base during the third inning at Coors Field in Denver on Tuesday April Photo by AAron Ontiveroz The Denver Post Related Articles Rockies lose again as Giants Matt Chapman launches grand slam Grading The Week With Colorado locked out of No overall pick in Dick Monfort s Rockies can t even tank right Rockies Journal Goodbye Mom you were my favorite sports fan Rockies dominated by Robbie Ray shut out by Giants Rockies rally to beat Giants snap -game road losing streak But it s the players who live with the losses During the Tigers miserable season in which they lost games catcher Brandon Inge described the Detroit Free Press It s like that dream you had as a kid when you re walking down the school hall naked and there is no place to go The fiercely competitive Freeland can relate He made his big-league debut in when the Rockies made the playoffs for the first time since In they came one supremacy away from claiming their first NL West title but still made the playoffs That s the only time the Rockies made the postseason in back-to-back years Now they re in the lowest place in franchise history Obviously it s not been easy at all Freeland announced We understand what we are going through right now and we are doing everything in our power to get ourselves out of this and moving in the right direction But it s become tough for us to complete a baseball match a well-rounded baseball championship We are struggling to find our image and struggling to find our identity Right now we are just kind of going out there trying to play baseball Infamous Beginnings The Rockies opened the season with a - record becoming one of seven teams since to post five or fewer wins in their first games The White Sox who set the major league record with losses last year opened the season - Here s a look at how the other teams finished their seasons click here to view chart in mobile Year Organization Start Final record Philadelphia Phillies - - Comment Played in the Baker Bowl and had an informed attendance of for the season Boston Red Sox - - Comment Had the distinction of having the worst run differential of any unit in the modern era at minus- Pittsburgh Pirates - - Comment Nicknamed the Rickey Dinks after GM Branch Rickey In one competition they fielded an entire starting lineup of players under feet tall Chicago Cubs - - Comment First baseman Bill Buckner was the Cubs lone All-Star He led the company with doubles and homers in a strike-shortened season Baltimore Orioles - - Comment The O s lost consecutive games to open the season Frank Robinson replaced Cal Ripken Jr as manager after just six games Detroit Tigers - - Comment When the Tigers avoided matching the Mets for the record number of losses the headline in the Detroit Free Press read Mets Tigers Colorado Rockies - TBD Comment After their first games Colorado s dismal offense ranked last in the majors with a batting average while leading the majors with strikeouts Season interrupted by -day strike Patrick Saunders The Denver Post Want more Rockies news Sign up for the Rockies Insider to get all our MLB analysis