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Tag: warren schaeffer

  • Changes could be coming to Rockies’ front office, but when and how big remain uncertain

    SAN FRANCISCO — The Rockies completed their dismal 119-loss season with a 4-0 loss to the Giants on Sunday, but there was no immediate word about what’s next.

    It has been widely speculated that general manager Bill Schmidt will be replaced, but interim manager Warren Schaeffer, multiple players, and several coaches and staff members said they are unsure if, or when, a change is forthcoming.

    There’s also been speculation that the Rockies will hire someone from outside the organization to overhaul the front office after the worst season in franchise history and three consecutive 100-loss campaigns. But that also remains to be seen.

    Left fielder Jordan Beck offered an honest assessment of Colorado’s performance.

    How bad were 2025 Colorado Rockies? Let us count the ways.

    “I think if you look at the numbers, all of it, there is not necessarily anything we did great this year, starting with the offense, and you can even talk pitching as well,” he said. “If both get just a little bit better, I think we win 20 more games this year.

    “Same thing with defense. We have good defensive players, but we didn’t show that. Maybe it’s because we lost so many games early, and it had an impact. I’m not sure. But we have to make some changes, whether it’s going out to sign some players or just finding other ways to get better. It is what it is. That’s what you have to do in this game.”

    Center fielder Brenton Doyle doesn’t know what the immediate future holds, but said that the Rockies need stability and must learn how to win.

    “For sure, we do,” he said. “We have a lot of moving parts and a lot of youth. We have guys coming up, and we need some chemistry built up. We have spent some time together, so now we need to find out how to come together and find a way to win more games.”

    Senza to ‘pen. Schaeffer said Sunday that veteran right-hander Antonio Senzatela will work out of the bullpen next season and will not be a candidate for the starting rotation.

    Senzatela began this season as a starter but struggled mightily, going 4-15 with a 7.42 ERA in 23 starts before he was moved to the bullpen. He’s pitched relatively well in his short stint as a reliever late this season, posting a 3.50 ERA with 12 strikeouts and five walks over six appearances out of the bullpen.

    Senzatela threw the five fastest pitches of his career on Sept. 7 vs. San Diego, all of them topping 99 mph. His firepower for short stints on the mound intrigues the Rockies. Senzatela has one year left on his contract and will make $12 million next season.

    Patrick Saunders

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  • Rockies catcher Hunter Goodman made huge strides behind the plate in 2025

    SAN FRANCISCO — Hunter Goodman rakes.

    His skills at the plate made him the Rockies’ lone All-Star and produced the best offensive season by a catcher in franchise history. Proof is in the numbers: his 30 home runs, 147 hits, 62 extra-base hits, and 90 RBIs are all the most in a season for a Rockies’ primary catcher.

    Goodman’s skills behind the plate and his growth as a game caller and student of the game are not as easily measured. But the Rockies say the 25-year-old has made huge strides since the club turned him into a full-time catcher in spring training.

    “Overall, it’s been seen by people throughout the league that ‘Goody’ has become an everyday starting catcher who produces offensively, but I see him turning into a great defensive catcher,” veteran left-hander Kyle Freeland said Friday before the Rockies played the Giants at Oracle Park to begin their final series of the 2025 season.

    “I think how he’s grown behind the dish speaks volumes about his ability to learn, adjust, and do things on the fly, very quickly, has been impressive.”

    Some of Goodman’s improved defensive skills, particularly his ability to block balls in the dirt, are apparent. Interim manager Warren Schaeffer calls it “exceptional.”

    Goodman still has a way to go in throwing out base stealers, as his low 16% caught-stealing rate shows. However, the more subtle aspects of Goodman’s all-around game — pitch calling, receiving, and knowledge of opposing hitters — have been impressive.

    “The start of this season feels like a long time ago,” Goodman said. “I didn’t feel all that comfortable back there, to be honest with you. But as the season has gone on, I think the progress has been really good. Whether it’s blocking, receiving or throwing, I think it’s gone in the right direction.”

    Schaeffer, Freeland and Goodman all say that Goodman’s growth as a game-caller has steadily improved as the season has gone on. However, Goodman said he has made the most progress with pitch framing.

    “I’ve spent a lot of time working on receiving, or pitch framing, whatever you want to call it,” he said. “I worked really hard on that during the offseason and during spring training. I really wanted to clean some of that stuff up.”

    Patrick Saunders

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  • Rockies cement status as second-worst National League team ever behind 1962 Mets

    If the 1962 Mets were amazin’, the 2025 Rockies are truly remarkable.

    Colorado now stands side-by-side in modern National League history with the ’62 Amazin’ Mets, who hold the Senior Circuit record with 120 losses. With a 6-2 defeat to the Mariners on Thursday at T-Mobile Park, the Rockies now have 116 losses in this exasperating season, joining the ’62 Mets as the worst NL teams since 1901.

    Thursday’s loss passed the Rockies by the 1935 Boston Braves on the modern NL ineptitude list, as those Braves that featured Babe Ruth in his final season finished with 115 defeats. At least the modern loss record, 121 losses by the 2024 White Sox, is out of reach for Colorado.

    Seattle, which used its three-game series against the Rockies to first clinch a playoff berth on Tuesday and then the American League West title on Wednesday, polished off the sweep on Thursday on a night where Colorado was never in contention.

    Rockies interim manager Warren Schaeffer said the streak Seattle is on en route to its first postseason appearance in three years, and just its second since 2001, is something the Rockies want to eventually emulate. The Mariners have won 17 of their last 18 games.

    “That’s a really good team: They’re well-balanced, they’ve got speed, they’ve got a ton of power,” Schaeffer told reporters in Seattle. “They play in ballpark which is extremely loud. It’s a definite home field advantage and they play to it and you can tell.

    “They’ve got a good thing going on right now, and we need to look at that and tell ourselves, ‘This is where we want to be.’”

    The Mariners took a 2-0 lead in the second via Eugenio Suárez’s homer off Bradley Blalock. Seattle added on in the fourth off Blalock with a fielder’s choice RBI by Dominic Canzone and then a two-RBI single by Randy Arozarena. Suárez then added insurance in the fifth off Anthony Molina with an RBI single to make it 6-0.

    Colorado finally got on the board with Ezequiel Tovar’s RBI single in the sixth off Carlos Vargas. But that was all the scoring the Rockies could muster until garbage time, when Hunter Goodman’s two-out, RBI single in the ninth made it 6-2.

    Of note, Cal Raleigh — hitting in the DH spot on Thursday — was 0 for 4 with a walk and a strikeout. The slugging, switch-hitting catcher blasted his MLB-leading 59th and 60th homers of the season on Wednesday, and now has three games remaining to try to match or surpass Aaron Judge’s AL home run record of 62. Raleigh will attempt to set the record against the NL West champion Dodgers.

    With the four-run defeat on Thursday, Colorado’s run differential is now minus-416. With one three-game series in San Francisco remaining this weekend, the Rockies have all but cemented the modern record for the worst run differential, previously held by the 1932 Boston Red Sox at minus-349. No team has had a minus-400 run differential at any point in a season.

    Friday’s pitching matchup

    Rockies RHP German Marquez (3-15, 6.49 ERA) at Giants RHP Trevor McDonald (0-0, 3.38)

    8:15 p.m. Friday, Oracle Park

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

    Radio: KOA 850 AM/94.1 FM

    Trending: With one more loss, the Rockies will officially become the second-worst team in modern National League history (since 1901). With four games remaining, Colorado’s 115 losses entering Thursday’s series finale in Seattle are tied with the 1935 Boston Braves (38-115), and five losses away from the NL’s all-time low, the 1962 New York Mets (40-120-1).

    Pitching probables

    Saturday: Rockies LHP Kyle Freeland (5-16, 5.00) at Giants RHP Justin Verlander (3-11, 3.88), 2:05 p.m.

    Sunday: Rockies RHP McCade Brown (0-4, 7.54) at Giants RHP Logan Webb (14-11, 3.30), 1:05 p.m.

    — Kyle Newman, The Denver Post

    Originally Published:

    Kyle Newman

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  • Rockies become first National League team to lose 111 games in 21 years with defeat to Marlins

    The Rockies have 10 more chances to clear themselves of infamy by association.

    Colorado dropped its fourth straight game on Wednesday at Coors Field, an 8-4 defeat to the Marlins to clinch the club’s 41st series defeat this season. The loss sank Colorado to 41-111 as the Rockies still need one more win to ensure they don’t tie the 2024 White Sox for the worst record in baseball’s modern era.

    The defeat made Colorado the first National League team to lose 111 games in 21 years, since the Diamondbacks did so in 2004. Those D-backs and this season’s Rockies are now tied for the most losses by an NL team during the Divisional Era (since 1969).

    The Rockies continue to fade hard down the stretch with a 2-13 record in September. Wednesday was an erratic night for the Colorado pitching staff, which finished with eight walks and a hit batter.

    “We walked way too many guys tonight,” interim manager Warren Schaeffer said. “You can’t be giving that many free passes away at Coors Field and expect to win.”

    The Rockies scored first by manufacturing a couple runs in the second inning off southpaw Ryan Weathers. After Ezequiel Tovar reached on an infield single and then Blaine Crim walked, Kyle Farmer singled Tovar home and Braxton Fulford’s sacrifice fly scored Crim to make it 2-0.

    Miami nicked Brown for an RBI single in the third, then took the lead off the rookie with a pair of runs in the fourth. A two-out walk in that inning eventually opened the door for Javier Sanoja’s RBI double and then Jakob Marsee’s RBI infield single to give the visitors a 3-2 advantage.

    Meanwhile, the rookie Brown finished with three runs allowed on four hits and four walks over four innings.

    “I was trying to be on the edges a little too much,” Brown saidd. “I’ve got to be competitive (with more strikes). I think my stuff plays and I’ve got to be able to throw it in the zone.”

    The Rockies struck back in the bottom of the fourth inning off Weathers, using Hunter Goodman’s double and then an RBI single by Jordan Beck to tie it, 3-3.

    After Ryan Rolison pitched a scoreless fifth for Colorado, Jaden Hill got into trouble in the sixth and surrendered the lead back to Miami. A walk, single and hit batter loaded the bases and led to Agustín Ramírez’s sacrifice fly to make it 4-3. Miami then tacked on another run via a sac fly by Heriberto Hernandez off Juan Mejia in the seventh, pushing the score to 5-3.

    Miami added insurance in the eighth via Ramírez’s two-run, 422-foot blast to left-center off Roansy Contreras that made it 7-3. Joey Wiemer’s RBI single off Angel Chivilli in the ninth further padded the score.

    “Today we had the early lead, which was good — we had a good plan against Weathers,” Schaeffer said. “In the middle innings, there were some good (at-bats), but not enough, that’s for sure.”

    Mickey Moniak hit a no-doubt, 429 foot blast off a hanging changeup to lead off the bottom of the ninth to give the smattering of Rockies fans still in attendance something to cheer about. It was the red-hot Moniak’s 23rd dinger of the season, and the first time in his career with a homer in three straight games.

    “The personal accolades, and to be able to reflect and look back for me on my season, comes Sept. 29,” Moniak said. “It will be a short reflection. I’ll take about two weeks, then get back into the cage and the weight room. For me, up until this point it’s been a great year for me personally, but the ultimate goal is to win. We haven’t been able to do that.”

    Colorado concludes the series against Miami in a Thursday matinee, looking to avoid its 19th sweep of the season, and plays its final home games with a three-game series against the Angels this weekend. Colorado then finishes the year on the road with a trip to Seattle and San Francisco, both of whom are in the hunt for a wild card berth.

    Thursday’s pitching matchup

    Marlins RHP Sandy Alcantara (9-12, 5.53 ERA) at Rockies RHP Tanner Gordon (6-6, 6.14)

    1:10 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).

    Kyle Newman

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  • Tanner Gordon emerges as Rockies’ best starter as season nears close

    Tanner Gordon was not on a lot of bingo cards to be the Rockies’ best starting pitcher at the end of the 2025 season. But here he is, working with poise, efficiency, confidence and a killer changeup.

    Not to mention a bit of bravado.

    “The No. 1 thing I’ve been impressed with is his ability to pitch inside and not be scared to do it,” interim manager Warren Schaeffer said Tuesday before the Rockies hosted the Marlins at Coors Field. “His stuff plays off of that.”

    The 27-year-old Gordon, slated to pitch Thursday against Miami, doesn’t have impressive raw numbers — 6-6, 6.14 ERA, 1.50 WHIP over 13 starts — but he’s on a nice run. And it doesn’t appear to be a fluke.

    “I love the way he competes,” veteran Rockies right-hander German Marquez said. “Lately, you have seen that. He’s shown that with his results. He can be a very good pitcher.”

    Last Friday, in Colorado’s 4-2 win over the Padres in San Diego, Gordon pitched six-plus innings, allowing one run on just two hits and one walk. He tied a career high with nine strikeouts. In Gordon’s last six starts, he’s 4-1 (the Rockies 5-1) with a 3.86 ERA, 33 strikeouts and eight walks.

    “It comes down to my mindset and getting more comfortable with myself,” Gordon said Tuesday. “It’s easy to try and go big picture and say, ‘My goal is to go seven innings tonight.’ But really, I’m learning to focus on one pitch at a time. I’m shrinking things down, trying to stay focused on small tasks. I think that has really helped.”

    So has his changeup, a pitch he throws 20.1% of the time, according to Baseball Savant. Gordon sets the pitch up with his 92.2 mph four-seam fastball (53% usage) and an 84.3 mph slider (26.2%). Gordon is not a flamethrower, but the fact that his 80.4 mph changeup crosses the plate almost 12 mph slower than his fastball makes it a terrific weapon.

    “I would love to be able to throw a changeup like Tanner’s,” veteran lefty Kyle Freeland said.

    Earlier in the season, Gordon’s changeup was not nearly as effective, and his fastball command was sporadic. A prime example: An Aug. 4 game against the Blue Jays at Coors when he was pounded for seven runs on 11 hits in just 2 2/3 innings. The Rockies lost 15-1, prompting Gordon to say, “You just have to be better and give your team a chance to win. I’m sure that the bullpen doesn’t like me right now.”

    But Gordon has pitched at least six innings in four of his last five starts, and command of his changeup is a big reason why he’s been effective.

    It’s often a tough pitch to master, but it’s been part of Gordon’s repertoire for a long time, and he made a name for himself using it at the University of Illinois.

    “I’ve thrown it for as long as I can remember,” he said. “All through college and way back to high school. I play catch with it a lot. I even play long-toss with it. I feel comfortable with the feel of it.

    “It’s not going to be great every single outing, and I still play around with it, tweak the grip a little bit.”

    Patrick Saunders

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  • Antonio Senzatela blasted, Rockies hitters a no-show in 9-0 loss to Pirates

    Pittsburgh is home to the “Immaculate Reception,” but there were no miracle endings for the Rockies on Friday night.

    The Pirates blanked them 9-0 at PNC Park, pounding starting right-hander Antonio Senzatela, though not quite like they did on Aug. 1 at Coors Field.

    In that wild game, the Rockies trailed 9-0 after the first inning, and Pittsburgh ravaged Senzatela for seven runs on eight hits and two walks in a mere two-thirds of an inning. But the Rockies rallied for a 17-16 walk-off victory.

    Friday night, Senzatela wasn’t good, but hung around for four innings, giving up five runs on eight hits. He walked three and struck out four. Veteran designated hitter Andrew McCutchen hit a pair of two-run doubles off Senzatela — in the first inning and also in the second.

    “The offspeed command, overall, I don’t think was good,” manager Warren Schaeffer told reporters in Pittsburgh. “When you don’t have that, you have to rely on the heater a little more. They got after the heater a little bit and they hit it hard.”

    Senzatela was coming off a strong start. Coming off the injured list, he pitched five scoreless innings vs. the Diamondbacks in Colorado’s 6-5 win at Coors Field. He allowed four hits with one walk (intentional), one hit batter and two strikeouts. But after Friday night’s loss, his ERA stands at 7.15.

    Keep in mind that the Rockies released veteran left-hander Austin Gomber on Friday. He had a 6.49 ERA, but he was scheduled to become a free agent at the end of this season. Senzatela, however, has one year remaining on his contract, and he’s guaranteed $12 million in 2026.

    In their Aug. 1  miracle comeback vs. Pittsburgh, the Rockies had 22 hits. Friday night, Rockies hitters were a no-show. While the Pirates had 14 hits, the Rockies managed only three and were shut out for the 12th time.

    There was no whiff of divine intervention, a la the 1972 AFC Divisional playoff game between the Raiders and Steelers at Three Rivers Stadium, when Hall of Fame running back Franco Harris caught a deflected pass for a touchdown in the closing seconds to lift the Steelers to a stunning 13-7 victory.

    Pirates young right-hander Braxton Ashcraft dominated the Rockies for five innings, allowing just one hit and one walk while striking out six.

    “Ashcraft was really good with the fastball-slider combo,” Schaeffer said.

    Pittsburgh rookie right-hander Bubba Chandler, making his big-league debut at age 22, pitched four scoreless innings, allowing two hits and striking out three.

    Patrick Saunders

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  • Renck & File: Shedeur Sanders in danger of becoming Tim Tebow. That’s not a good thing

    In college, Shedeur Sanders was him. In the NFL, he is becoming Tim.

    And that’s not good.

    The only thing NFL coaches hate more than pre-snap penalties are distractions. And this is where Sanders’ star power works against him with the Cleveland Browns. Remember Tim Tebow? Of course you do. He is the only drafted Broncos quarterback to win a playoff game. He was traded after that season, started two games for the New York Jets, and disappeared into TV work.

    Sanders profiles as an NFL starter. Should be one.

    But the league did not see him that way, with 143 players selected before the Browns pulled the ripcord on his free fall. Even that was a mess since they had drafted Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel in the third round. Fifth-round picks are not guaranteed roster spots. Sanders needed to show up in Cleveland with a low profile — no personal media crew, and, in hindsight, an Uber gift card to avoid speeding tickets.

    Sanders is better than Gabriel, whose helmet is already hitting his ceiling. But that doesn’t matter. If the Browns believe Sanders is a backup — and foolishly keeping four quarterbacks on the opening roster will scream as much — then they will want him to blend into the furniture.

    CU fans love Shedeur’s brand. The style. The watch flex. It worked famously in Boulder. But for all the advantages of playing for his father, Deion Sanders, there was a clear downside of facing no consequences or competition.

    His success was legendary. In the NFL, he is currently viewed as ordinary. It’s not fair. However, unless you are a first-round pick, have a huge contract, or are a coach’s favorite, you don’t get the benefit of the doubt.

    Coaches don’t want celebrity quarterbacks. And they definitely don’t want celebrity backup quarterbacks. Don’t believe it? How quickly did the careers of Cam Newton and Jay Cutler end?

    Sanders, who sat out last week with an oblique injury, will play in the Browns’ final preseason game after 40-year-old starter Joe Flacco and Gabriel.

    Troy Renck

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