The Colorado Rockies are currently in Seattle, facing the Mariners for three games. The Mariners had gone 20-3 in their previous 23 home games. That’s almost as many home wins as the Rockies have earned the entirety of this season. They went a franchise-worst 25-56 at home. The Rockies are also a distant league-worst 18-58 on the road. But their road woes are nothing new. The Rockies have to aim to be at or slightly above .500 on the road. But in all their best seasons, they have been borderline dominant at home.
Rockies’ Home Woes Contributed to Franchise-Worst Season
What Coors Effect?
The 8-46 start to begin the season was brutal enough. But the Rockies’ inability to win at home was even worse. The Rockies did not win consecutive home games or a home series during the entire first half. They were swept five times at home during the first half. Per TeamRankings.com, the Rockies were a league-worst -211 in run differential at home this season. Overall, the Rockies are an unfathomable -412 in run differential. The next worst is the Washington Nationals at -204!
It has been a historically bad season for Colorado, and Rockies fans didn’t get their normal reprieve at Coors. The Rockies did win five of their six home series to begin the second half. But the series they did lose was one of the most lopsided series in Major League Baseball this season. The American League-leading Toronto Blue Jays strolled into Colorado and waxed the Rockies 45-6 over three games.
The Detroit Tigers outscored the Rockies 21-3 in a doubleheader in Colorado on May 8. Then the San Diego Padres beat the Rockies 21-0 at Coors two days later. This proved to be Bud Black‘s last game managing the Rockies. After a solid start to the second half at home, the Rockies lost four out of their last five home series to finish the season. If they have any chance of improving next season, it starts with playing much better at home.
Rockies Need to Make Coors a Strength
The Rockies have not been remotely near the postseason since they last made it in 2018. But they have still been solid at home during that stretch. The 25 home wins this season are down 12 wins from the last two seasons, in which the Rockies went 37-44 in each. That is still unacceptable, as they also finished with 100+ losses the last two seasons. Nevertheless, it’s significantly better than the disaster this season.
The standard-bearer for the Rockies’ home record during a losing season is 2021. The Rockies finished 74-87 in 2021, but were 48-33 at home. That was good for third in the National League behind only the San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Both finished with over 100 wins. But San Francisco and Los Angeles had 53 and 48 road wins, respectively, that season. The Rockies finished 26-54 on the road.
A 23-game improvement next season at home should not be expected. Their rebuild is just beginning, and they are littered with young players. But excluding the shortened 2020 COVID-19 season, the Rockies have finished with 28 or fewer road wins in every season since 2019. They don’t have to reach the heights of 2021 at home. But 25 wins at home on top of their major road struggles is not nearly good enough. With how much the Rockies struggle to generate offense on the road, they absolutely have to take advantage of Coors Field. For the young club, that needs to start next season.
Building the Foundation
The Rockies finally made the right moves this trade deadline, embracing the youth movement by trading away veterans to help bolster the farm. After looking non-competitive and lifeless during the first two months of the season, they have been noticeably more competitive under interim manager Warren Schaeffer. Rockies players have been vocal about their belief in Schaeffer being the right man for the job. With the exciting young talent that has emerged this season, the slow but steady steps in this rebuild are happening.
Additionally, the bar is very low right now. Laughably, even one home series win next season in the first half would be an improvement. The postseason is likely still years away. But a rebuild feels a lot shorter when your team can be competitive at home. Even though the Rockies were never really in contention in 2021, their dominant play at home and walk-off wins made for some special memories.
.@EliasDiaz32 DOES IT AGAIN
12th walk-off for the Rockies and 3rd for Díaz! pic.twitter.com/SxQzWOYhs9
— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) August 22, 2021
Learning to win at home will be the next big step for these young Rockies. The journey back to relevance will be a long road, but it is finally underway in the Mile High City. Hopefully, the Rockies can put this miserable season behind them and once again be a team to be reckoned with at 20th and Blake.
Main Photo Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
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