The Rockies were shut out for the first five innings of a 5-3 defeat to the defending World Series champion Dodgers on Monday in Los Angeles, cementing a club record with 32 straight innings without scoring. An RBI double by Kyle Farmer — Colorado’s best hitter by far in a dismal season to date — finally snapped the skid in the sixth inning.

But besides that and a late homer by Hunter Goodman, it was bad business as usual for a team looking like it could easily top not only its 101-loss season from last year, but also the franchise-worst 103-loss season from 2023.

The Rockies cannot hit: The Blake Street Bummers have scored just 43 runs so far, the fewest in the majors. They looked largely inept facing Dodgers right-hander Dustin May on Monday. And their 169 strikeouts are the most in the National League, while slumping first baseman Michael Toglia — who is supposed to be a pillar of the lineup — leads the majors with 29 K’s.

The Rockies cannot field: After a misplay on one grounder and then an error on another by rookie second baseman Adael Amador in the sixth inning on Monday, they have 16 errors on the season, the most in the National League.

And their pitching has been suspect, too. Though the club’s starters have pitched better than their 3-13 record indicates, the bullpen’s been an abject disaster, with a 5.92 ERA coming into Monday that’s the fourth-worst in baseball. The club’s overall 5.02 ERA coming into Monday is second-worst in MLB, ahead of only the Nationals’ 5.15. Washington arrives in LoDo for a three-game series on Friday.

If not for the veteran Farmer, who boasts one of the best averages in baseball at .362, the Rockies would’ve been no-hit in the road trip opener at Petco Park last Friday. He had the Rockies’ only knocks in the game, an 8-0 Padres victory, and had five of the nine hits in the series as the rest of his teammates batted a combined 4 for 78 (.051).

Colorado’s offensive drought during the first three-plus games of the road trip topped the club’s previous low for consecutive scoreless innings, 30, which was set late in the 2010 season.

After Farmer’s double snapped the scoreless skid midday through Monday’s game, Goodman added another bright spot with a two-run homer in the seventh off Dodgers right-hander Anthony Banda. That cut the deficit to two, but it was all the juice the Rockies’ offense had. It’s only the fifth time this season that Colorado’s scored three or more runs.

Two of the Dodgers’ MVPs led the way for Los Angeles, as Mookie Betts blasted a two-run homer off Antonio Senzatela in the first inning, then Shohei Ohtani victimized Senza in the third with a solo shot to center. All-star catcher Will Smith tacked on a pair of RBIs via a single off Luis Peralta in the fifth and a sacrifice fly off Tyler Kinley in the sixth, two swings that ended up being the difference.

The series at Dodger Stadium resumes with games Tuesday and Wednesday before the Rockies return to Denver.

Tuesday’s pitching matchup

Rockies RHP Ryan Feltner (0-0, 2.81) at Dodgers RHP Landon Knack (1-0, 10.38)

8:10 p.m. Tuesday, Dodger Stadium

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

Radio: 850 AM, 94.1 FM

Trending: While Colorado’s offensive struggles so far have been well-documented, the club’s defense hasn’t been much better. What was supposed to be one of the best defenses in baseball — at least by internal expectations — has floundered through 15 games. The Rockies are averaging an error a game, with their 15 errors the second-most in baseball, trailing Boston’s 19. The 15 errors are tied for the fourth-most in any 15-game stretch in franchise history.

Pitching probables

• Wednesday: Rockies RHP Germán Márquez (0-2, 4.60) at Dodgers RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto (2-1, 1.23), 8:10 p.m.
• Thursday: Off
• Friday: Nationals LHP MacKenzie Gore (1-2, 3.52) at Rockies RHP Chase Dollander (1-1, 5.06), 6:40 p.m.

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In 11 games this season, Bryant is hitting .154 with no homers in 41 plate appearances as he continues to struggle offensively. In a corresponding roster move, the Rockies selected the contract of catcher Braxton Fulford from Triple-A. They also transferred right-hander Jeff Criswell, who had Tommy John surgery during spring training, to the 60-day injured list.

The Bryant move is retroactive to Sunday. This is not the first time that Bryant has landed on the IL due to back issues. He’s dealt with chronic disc and arthritis problems in his lower back over the past few seasons, becoming a shell of his former MVP self that he was as a slugger with the Cubs. He has played just 170 games across his four seasons in Colorado, with only 17 homers and a -1.6 total WAR.

Bryant is Colorado’s highest-paid player this season with a $27 million salary. He has yet to appear in the field in 2025, with all 10 of his starts coming at designated hitter.

In the offseason, Bryant told The Denver Post that he was “at peace” with the progress he was experiencing in his quest to get healthy entering 2025. But that quest clearly hit another roadblock early in this season, continuing the trend of unavailability that’s underscored his time with the club over the last three years. So far in his Rockies tenure, he’s only played in about one-third of the club’s games.

Originally signed as an outfielder and first baseman, since last year, Bryant’s primarily been the team’s DH. The emergence of Michael Toglia as the club’s everyday first baseman, in conjunction with Bryant’s back issues that have prevented him from playing the outfield — last April, he exacerbated his back problem when he crashed into the wall in Toronto while making a catch — all but erased any defensive value he previously had.

Rockies manager Bud Black said that he held Bryant out of some games so far, including the home opener against the Athletics on April 4 at Coors Field, to give the veteran time to get his swing right.

With Bryant back on the IL, Black told MLB.com on Monday at Dodger Stadium ahead of the series opener against Los Angeles that he expects Bryant to return to the club after 10 days, but that the training staff will need to continue to monitor Bryant’s back going forward.

“A lot of players, especially at this point in their career, have to manage certain things in their body,” Black said.

If the Rockies do decide at some point to cut Bryant, they would owe him the rest of his guaranteed contract, which has three years and $81 million left on it following the 2025 season.

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They lost 6-0 to the Padres on Sunday afternoon, suffering their third consecutive shutout, something the Rockies had never experienced before.

Right-hander Michael King toyed with Colorado’s feeble offense and pitched his first complete-game shutout. He allowed only two hits, a single by Michael Toglia in the fifth and a single by Ezequiel Tovar in the ninth. King retired the first 13 hitters, struck out eight and walked one.

“We’ve been carved up a little bit,” Colorado manager Bud Black told reporters in San Diego. “Their guy was pretty good today, but they outhit us and outpitched us this series. We just could not get the bats on track.”

The Rockies, coming off back-to-back 100-loss seasons, have opened 3-12, the worst 15-game start in franchise history.

San Diego, now 10-0 at Petco Park, swept the series, winning 8-0 on Friday night and 2-0 on Saturday night. The Padres’ three straight shutouts marked the first time any team has done so since Cleveland blanked Kansas City in three straight in 2017.

Colorado managed nine hits and 12 base runners in the three-game series while striking out 32 times. In all, the Rockies hit 9 for 88 in the series. They came to Petco Park with a .243 team batting average. They left hitting .218.

“For the last couple of weeks, it’s been frustrating for the guys,” Black said. “The guys have put in the work, but it’s just not translating. It’s frustrating for sure.”

Black said that the inexperience of some players is contributing to the lack of hits and the deluge of strikeouts. When asked if anything can be done, he responded: “No, this is our group. These guys have to fight through it. This is the group that I think has to continue on and keep fighting through this, and hopefully, string together some hits, get some good at-bats and put the ball in play.”

The Padres made history of their own — the positive kind — becoming just the second team in major league history to notch six shutouts in its first 16 games. Cleveland did it in 1966. All six Padres shutouts have come at Petco, where the Padres have the best home start in franchise history.

The game was decided in the first inning when the Padres scored four runs on four hits and a walk, off left-hander Kyle Freeland, who fell to 0-3 as his ERA rose to 4.88.

A two-out single by Oscar Gonzalez scored the first run, followed by another RBI single by Yuli Gurriel and a two-run double by Jose Iglesias.

Monday’s pitching matchup

Rockies RHP Antonio Senzatela (0-2, 5.14 ERA) at Dodgers Dustin May (0-1, 0.82)

8:10 p.m. Monday, Dodger Stadium

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

Radio: 850 AM, 94.1 FM

Trending: The Rockies have scored 40 runs in 15 games to start the season, the fewest in the majors. They have scored two or fewer runs in 10 of their first 15 games.

Pitching probables

Tuesday: Rockies RHP Ryan Feltner (0-0, 2.81) at Dodgers RHP Landon Knack (1-0, 10.38)

Wednesday: Rockies RHP Germán Márquez (0-2, 4.60) at Dodgers TBA

Thursday: Off

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Veen, Colorado’s first-round draft pick at No. 9 overall in 2020, had to wait nearly a year to make his minor-league debut after the pandemic wiped out the ’20 season.

And when he finally began his career with Low-A Fresno in ’21, it was a rough start for the former Spruce Creek (Fla.) sensation. The line in his first six games: 3 for 20, with 13 strikeouts.

“I don’t think I struck out that many times in one entire season in high school,” Veen said. “But I just had to go through it. There’s really no words for it. When you go from hitting .500 in high school to having an 0-for-4, 0-for-10 stretch, you realize things are way different.”

That rough start and the surge that followed it as Veen transformed into a California League postseason all-star epitomized the rocky road the corner outfielder took to his big-league debut earlier this week.

There were hot streaks and promising signs, including an appearance in the 2022 All-Star Futures Game, that showcased Veen’s athleticism, speed and signature edge to his game.

And there were notable lows, too. In 2023, he tried to play through a left wrist tendon injury from diving for a flyball, but it eventually required season-ending surgery. Then last season, he ruptured a flexor tendon slapping the top of his helmet as he entered the dugout following a failed at-bat. His right thumb got caught between the top of the dugout and his helmet and he spent the next two months on the shelf.

Between those injuries, Veen missed most of the last two seasons. Once Colorado’s top prospect, he fell in the rankings. But those who knew him best, such as his high school coach and mentor Johnny Goodrich, never doubted he’d finally find his way to LoDo.

“It’s never been a talent issue with Zac,” Goodrich said. “It’s like a wine — it’s got to mature before it’s ready. That’s the process that we’ve dealt with for Zac. … He had to understand how to take care of himself, how to mentally and physically keep his body prepared, how to keep weight on.

“It’s a lot of the off-the-field stuff where he had to learn, too: getting (a routine) in order, nutrition. How to wash your own clothes. I remember he called me up two years ago: ‘Coach! I can make an omelette!'”

That learning curve is typical, especially for players drafted high who arrive in pro ball with enormous expectations, both from themselves and the club. In the case of Veen, a $5 million signing bonus added to the pressure.

Veen’s baseball upbringing featured practically no adversity. As a middle schooler, he rode his bike five miles from his house to Spruce Creek High School every day to hit in the cage and watch the team practice.

From the time he hit three homers in a single game at a tournament in Cooperstown at age 12, he seemed destined to be drafted.

But Veen’s potholed road to the majors is commonplace, despite being a Top 10 pick expected to be an all-star caliber player. In the Rockies’ clubhouse, third baseman Ryan McMahon recalled how “I struggled for a whole year to find myself” in his first season in make-or-break Double-A in 2016. Southpaw Kyle Freeland encountered similar self-doubt during his first full pro season in 2015.

Freeland, the No. 8 overall pick out of Evansville in 2014, started ’15 hurt with a shoulder impingement. Then, he had elbow cleanup surgery, which set his summer back further. And the awful topper came in his Arizona Fall League debut, where the Thomas Jefferson High School product was torched by some of baseball’s best prospects and didn’t make it out of the first inning.

“I remember sitting in front of my locker, thinking to myself, ‘This is as far as I go. This is the highest level I’m going to reach,'” Freeland recalled. “I couldn’t get a guy out to save my life that night. But the competitor in me and the person I am wouldn’t allow myself to give into that.

“It was one of those reality checks, where it hit me that this game is so hard and I can’t just coast through the minor leagues just off of talent alone.”

Veen’s had several of those reality checks along his journey to Coors Field, where he bunted for his first MLB hit on Tuesday in his third career at-bat. In the lead-up before his debut, Veen’s progress coming off his injury setbacks was promising. The 23-year-old swung the bat decently in Double-A Hartford after returning from his thumb mishap to finish the year in Triple-A, then had a solid showing at spring training as he won the team’s MVP award.

In the Cactus League, he hit .270 with two homers, a triple, four doubles and 11 RBIs along with an .812 OPS. He also had nine steals, but showed there was still room for growth with 21 strikeouts to seven walks. That kept him off the opening day roster. The Rockies went with Sean Bouchard, Nick Martini and Jordan Beck over him, believing Veen needed to demonstrate more consistency in his offensive approach.

Veen took the decision in stride, and hit .387 in eight games in Triple-A before taking the roster spot of Beck, who was struggling.

“I think one day, especially now that he’s here, (Veen) might look back at all that he’s gone through and be thankful for it,” McMahon said. “A little bit of adversity can go a long way in changing you — it can show you how you’re going to be. Like, are you going to be the guy who goes down, or the guy who’s risen above it? He’s clearly the guy who’s risen above it.”

Veen echoed McMahon’s sentiment, noting, “all the different things I went through in the minors really prepared me for what could happen here.”

“I really wouldn’t have wanted it any other way,” he said. “It was a fun roller-coaster.”

Now in the majors with what manager Bud Black labeled “a certain unique flair,” Veen will need to master the toughest learning curve of them all: becoming a big-league regular.

With his bleached hair — it was purple when he showed up to spring training but quickly changed after Veen says one of his teammates advised against it — he stands out in an organization that prefers its players flavor-free. But Veen vows to remain true to the eccentric personality and aggressive baseball instincts that got him to Coors Field.

That was on full display after his first career extra-base hit on Thursday in the win over Milwaukee, a double off the right-field wall, after which Veen celebrated on second by making a lighter gesture near his mouth because he “wanted the fans to get lit.” Afterward, Veen was all smiles in the clubhouse as he soaked in his first MLB victory.

“I’ve told him a thousand times, I don’t want to ride a horse in the Kentucky Derby that I have to beat its (rear) around the track,” Goodrich said. “I want a horse I can pull the reins back on.

“And that’s one thing we’ll all see, is that we never have to spur that horse. He is always on the go. There’s times you may have to pull the reins back, but that’s okay. You will never have to motivate Zac to work or motivate him to win, because that’s what drives him.”

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When the earthquake struck Ball Arena and coach Michael Malone and general manager Calvin Booth were fired, I predicted that my inbox would be filled with emails from Rockies fans demanding that a similar shakeup occur at 20th and Blake. I was right.

“The Nuggets won a championship two years ago and have a winning record, and they cleaned house,” wrote Jim from Golden, echoing many similar emails. “The Rockies have lost 100 games for two straight (seasons), and they do nothing.

“Nothing ever changes. Bud Black should be gone. Bill Schmidt should be gone. Do your job and demand they get fired!”

As a beat writer, Jim, it’s not my job to demand that managers, coaches and general managers be fired. Columnists like The Denver Post’s Troy Renck and Sean Keeler can do that, but not a beat writer. I try to provide news and analysis.

Yes, the Rockies need to make changes. I think they will, but I don’t know how dramatic they will be. That will depend on how badly things go. Colorado’s 3-9 start has been ugly, but that doesn’t mean a third consecutive 100-loss season is inevitable.

Here is my take on possible changes:

• Trading German Marquez. The right-hander is in the final year of his contract, so the Rockies have to listen to offers. Marquez’s elbow is healthy, and he’s throwing his fastball at a consistent 95 mph. But he’s coming off two lost years, and his best seasons are likely behind him, so I’m wondering how much Colorado would get from him. If it’s a decent offer — perhaps for a young power hitter? — the Rockies have to pull the trigger.

Trading Ryan McMahon. The 30-year-old third baseman is one of owner Dick Monfort’s favorite players and extremely popular in the clubhouse. He’s also the team’s most tradeable asset.

McMahon, a four-time Gold Glove finalist who flashes inconsistent power, won’t become a free agent until after the 2027 season. He’s making $12 million this season and is due $16 million in ’26 and ’27. There was trade interest in McMahon last summer and over the winter, but the Rockies didn’t bite.

Colorado is excited about power-hitting third base prospect Kyle Karros, 22, who’s begun the season at Double-A Hartford. If he continues progressing, the Rockies must field offers for McMahon.

Cutting Kris Bryant. Many fans want the oft-injured designated hitter to disappear from the roster. That’s not going to happen anytime soon. If there were a younger player or two lighting things up — Jordan Beck, for example, who was sent down to Triple-A Albuquerque, still must prove himself — then Bryant’s time with the Rockies might be short.

More likely, Bryant’s playing time will be limited if other players start showing signs of life at the plate. At that point, Bryant would be a $27 million bench player. Cutting Bryant loose to “send a message” isn’t in the Rockies’ DNA. Regardless, the Rockies are on the hook for Bryant’s contract.

Firing Hensley “Bam Bam”  Meulens. Changing the hitting coach won’t automatically solve Colorado’s offense woes, which include a 28.2% strikeout rate that is the highest in the majors and only nine home runs (tied for fifth-fewest). Still, a message change could be needed, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Meulens is fired if the Rockies continue to struggle.

Firing Bud Black. The manager is working on a one-year deal, making him vulnerable. I don’t believe he’s “lost the clubhouse.” He remains the best public voice the Rockies have, and Monfort likes that about Black.

I’ve repeatedly said that I believe Black is a good manager when given talent to work with. Taking the Rockies to the playoffs in 2017 and ’18 proved that. But the Rockies are sliding toward their seventh consecutive losing season, something that’s never happened before. If it starts to look like a repeat of ’23 and ’24, Black’s time in Colorado could be over.

Firing Bill Schmidt. GM Jeff Bridich departed in late April 2021, less than three months after the controversial Nolan Arenado trade. There were hard feelings in the front office near the end of Bridich’s tenure.

I don’t sense that with Schmidt, but the fact remains that the Rockies are in the worst stretch of their 33-year existence. I would be shocked if Schmidt was let go during the season — the wheels turn slowly at 20th and Blake — but come October, I can envision changes, of some sort, in the front office.

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Colorado managed just four hits in a 2-0 loss to the Padres on Saturday night.

Kyle Farmer hit a bloop double in the fourth and a single in the ninth. Nick Martini hit a leadoff, pinch-hit single in the eighth. Rookie outfielder Zac Veen flashed his speed to beat out an infield single in the ninth.

The Veen-Farmer combo gave the Rockies a fighting chance in the ninth, but Padres super closer Robert Suarez struck out Ryan McMahon for the second out. The game ended with San Diego right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. making a terrific catch to rob Kris Bryant of extra base.

So, for the second game in a row, the Rockies failed to score a run at San Diego’s Petco Park. They lost 8-0 Friday night, managing only three hits, all by Farmer.

“The big hit has eluded us in more games than not,” Rockies manager Bud Black told reporters in San Diego. ” ‘K.B.’ stung that ball, but Tatis is an All-Star and a really good fielder. He went back and got that ball. That’s baseball. But there is no doubt our offense has to get going.”

Colorado center fielder Brenton Doyle missed his second consecutive game because of a left quadriceps strain. He’s been one of Colorado’s few offensive forces early on.

The Rockies (3-11) have scored 40 runs to start the 2025 season, the fewest in the majors. They have scored two or fewer runs in nine of their first 14 games. That won’t get it done.

San Diego right-hander Kyle Hart pitched six scoreless innings, striking out four and walking none.

Dollander, 23, making his second big-league start, illustrated what all of the hoopla is about.

The right-hander pitched 5 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on just three hits. He struck out seven and walked two.

“When you talk about pitching, the first thing people say is, ‘Tell me about his stuff,’ ” Black said. “Chase has got good stuff. I really liked his fastball (tonight). The cutter was sharp. He mixed in some curveballs and threw a couple of changeups to the lefties. I thought he threw well.”

Unfortunately for Dollander, two of the hits were home runs. Tatis led off the Padres’ first wth a blast to deep center, punishing Dollander’s 3-2 fastball. Jayson Heyward hit a one-out, solo homer to right in the fifth. Heyward ripped Dollander’s 1-0, 97.3 mph fastball 410 feet.

Asked by Rockies.TV what he needed to improve going forward, Dollander replied, “Just focus on execution. Just being locked in on every pitch. There were a couple of times (tonight) where I kind of got lazy and threw up a heater, and they took advantage of it. I didn’t execute when I needed to execute.”

The Padres will hunt for the three-game sweep on Sunday afternoon.

Sunday’s pitching matchup

Rockies LHP Kyle Freeland (0-2, 3.79 ERA) at Padres RHP Michael King (2-0, 4.05)

2:10 p.m. Sunday, Petco Park

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

Radio: 850 AM, 94.1 FM

Trending: Second baseman Kyle Farmer has been the Rockies’ most consistent hitter. He had all three of Colorado’s hits in an 8-0 loss to the Padres Friday night. He entered Saturday night’s game riding an 11-game on-base streak.

Pitching probables

Monday: Rockies RHP Antonio Senzatela (0-2, 5.14) at Dodgers RHP Dustin May (0-1, 0.82), 8:10 p.m.

Tuesday: Rockies RHP Ryan Feltner (0-0, 2.81) at Dodgers TBA, 8:10 p.m.

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That vibe inspired the Rockies’ new Nike MLB City Connect jerseys, which the team unveiled Saturday. The players will wear the pullover-style jerseys for the first time on April 18 in a game against the Nationals and again every Friday home game through the remainder of the 2025 season.

The new look is in bold contrast to the first City Connects unveiled three years ago. Colorado license plates, adorned with the outline of the mountains, inspired those dark green-and-white uniforms.

“With the second iteration of City Connect, we wanted something that was clearly independent from our first release,” Jim Kellogg, Rockies vice president of community and retail operations, said in a statement. “Whether you’re a Colorado native or just visiting, the best days in Colorado are spent outside. From sunrise to sunset, Colorado’s natural beauty is reflected in these uniforms. I can’t wait to see them come to life on the field on April 18 under one of those iconic Coors Field sunsets.”

Third baseman Ryan McMahon gave the new look a big thumbs up.

“They’re cool,” McMahon said. “I like the pullover jersey. And they’re definitely loud. I feel like that’s what City Connects are supposed to be about — for the city.”

The Rockies waxed poetic in their description of the new uniforms.

“The colors of the uniform pay homage to the perfect transition between day and night,” the club’s statement reads. “Blending bluebird skies against the backdrop of purple mountain majesty, highlighted by brilliant orange and pink, the uniform signifies a vibrant, bold new future.”

According to Kellogg, the Rockies sent Nike images of the sunsets at Coors Field, and Nike created the colors to capture those images.

Colorado is also the first team to debut a City Connect pullover jersey, similar to what some MLB teams wore in the 1990s.

The baseball cap is lined with the Denver city flag and the light blue cap includes the mountains/soaring baseball logo. The Rockies have included the logo in their batting practice hats but have never worn them during regular-season games.

The previous City Connect was designed with dark green pants to match the jerseys, but many players complained that the pants were too hot during day games. The jerseys will be worn with white pants.

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Quite an apropos memory, considering the Rockies’ performance in an 8-0 shellacking by the Padres Friday night at Petco Park where the Padres improved to 8-0.

The reeling Rockies, meanwhile, have opened their season with a 3-10 record.

Colorado’s tale of woe was extensive:

• The Rockies had three hits, all by second baseman Kyle Farmer.

• Padres right-hander Nick Pivetta dominated the Rockies, allowing those three hits to Farmer, striking out 10 and walking one.

• The Rockies struck out a season-high 15 times and have a 29.5% strikeout rate that is by far the highest in the majors. Rookie outfielder Zac Veen, hitting leadoff, wore the golden sombrero, whiffing four times.

• After a strong first four innings, right-hander German Marquez fell apart in the fifth and was charged with six runs (five earned) on seven hits in 4 2/3 innings.

• The Padres scored six runs in that pivotal fifth, sending 12 men to the plate. Marquez appeared to get out of the inning on a double play, but Hunter Goodman was called for catcher’s interference, and the Padres stayed alive and piled on. Goodman’s throwing error on Fernando Tatis Jr.’s stolen base allowed former Rockies catcher Elias Diaz to jog home.

• Rockies right-handed reliever Angel Chivilli served up two long home runs, a solo shot to Tatis in the sixth and a solo shot to Gavin Sheets in the seventh.

• Colorado has scored two or fewer runs in eight of its first 13 games.

Regarding the catcher’s interference in the fifth, Rockies manager Bud Black told reporters in San Diego: “That was a back-breaker, for sure. It looked like a double play ball, two outs in the fifth in a one-run game. … But we couldn’t quite get that third out of the inning. They kept pecking away at us and we couldn’t quite put them away.:

Saturday’s pitching matchup

Rockies RHP Chase Dollander (1-0, 7.20 ERA) at Padres LHP Kyle Hart (1-0, 11.12)

6:40 p.m. Saturday, Petco Park

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

Radio: 850 AM, 94.1 FM

Trending: Dollander, Colorado’s No. 1 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, made his big-league debut in his last start, allowing four runs on seven hits with a walk and six strikeouts in five innings. He became the first Rockies starting pitcher to earn a win in their debut since Peter Lambert in 2019. Entering Friday night’s game, Dollander was the Rockies starter with a winning decision this season.

Pitching probables

Sunday: Rockies LHP Kyle Freeland (0-2, 3.79) at Padres RHP Michael King (2-0, 4.05), 2:10 p.m.

On a sun-splashed Thursday at Coors Field, with fans’ growing apathy reflected in the 18,593 paid attendance, they toppled the Brewers 7-2.

It was a victory that masked the ugliness of the first month.

Losing the first two home series of the season should qualify as shameful. For the Rockies, this is normal, the 3-9 start fitting in with a 3-9 mark last year and a 20-loss April in 2023.

That alone is reason to remain disgusted with this team. But worse, the Rockies possess a quality that most professional organizations avoid like gas station sushi: They make players soft.

Has there ever been a pro team in our city more comfortable losing?

This is why what I unearthed in the postgame clubhouse offered a morsel of hope. We want the players to care, to show that they are no longer treating Coors Field as a 4A minor league weigh station, that they realize results matter.

Ryan McMahon wants to be part of the solution if this team ever gets good again. He gets it.

Filling the leadership void created by Charlie Blackmon’s retirement, he spoke to the team after Wednesday’s 17-2 ear boxing by the Brewers, a travesty that featured four errors and a flammable bullpen.

“I am not really a loud guy. I am more of a one-to-one guy. When there are times that something needs to be said, I won’t be afraid to say it,” McMahon said. “Most of the time, it’s how you react in baseball and life. I think the guys took the message well.”

For way too long, too many players have been just happy to be here, and even more have been here only because the Rockies are the worst team in the National League.

The Rockies are on pace for a third consecutive 100-loss season, and there is no reason to suggest any moves will happen. Owner Dick Monfort values loyalty over competence. Patience over consequence.

This is what happens when a franchise operates in a vacuum, shakes its fist at the clouds about a salary cap and treats analytics like hieroglyphics.

Nobody expects this team to flirt with a .500 record. But is it too much to ask them to compete? To locate a compass and single-mindedly pursue a destination. We all agree that the Rockies are a draft-and-development organization that doesn’t draft or develop well. But manager Bud Black must embrace the youth movement.

“It’s hard,” Black said. “You want to win every game, but you have to balance the now with the future.”

The onus is on him to navigate the task. No excuses.

Keep giving at-bats to Zac Veen — he plays with his platinum blond hair on fire and delivered a celebration after his eighth-inning double that made me wonder if something was smoking besides his bat. Bring back Jordan Beck. If that means curtains for Sean Bouchard, who cares?

Any veteran in this clubhouse must bring an edge — as Ryan Feltner demonstrated by working out of a fourth-inning mess with a primal scream. They must set an example that will help the development of Veen, Chase Dollander and Michael Toglia.

The organization comes across as rudderless. Nothing is stopping the players from establishing a culture.

It is why the Rockies must release Kris Bryant. He is a nice guy. No one disputes this. It simply sends the wrong message to use a DH more concerned about not getting hurt than getting a hit. He has missed four starts in the first 12 games. At the same age of 33, Todd Helton played in 154 games with a surgically-repaired back.

The Rockies need swag, confidence. Brenton Doyle is one of few who fit this description.

“Ryan gave us a good speech. That was a rough one,” said Doyle, who delivered three hits and five RBIs in the win. “It shows a lot about us on how we responded.”

Watching the Rockies lightbulb flicker, the juxtaposition with the Nuggets remains striking.

They robbed the winningest coach in franchise history of his dignity Tuesday, firing Michael Malone to give the team a chance for playoff redemption. They canned general manager Calvin Booth to demonstrate their distaste for the team’s performance and the tension the pair fostered.

This as they woke up Thursday with the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference. The Rockies will need a telescope to see the postseason by month’s end if they are not careful.

The Kroenkes excel at silence, at living in the shadows. But regardless of my opinion on Malone’s exit, at least they want to win.

Is that thought even allowed at 20th and Blake? The concept has become foreign. And rarely discussed because that would demand Monfort holding accountable Rockies lifers who have failed upward.

Maybe Thursday is the start of something, of a retreat from embarrassment. Monfort is not selling the team. He is not hiring a real president, desperately needed to diminish the owner’s influence on baseball decisions.

Progress will happen only if Black holds players to a higher standard, if McMahon and others keep reminding their teammates they are sick of losing.

“It is about understanding we are better than (what happened Wednesday). We don’t need to just settle. We can make (bleep) happen,” McMahon said. “I think you saw that.”

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Doyle had three hits and tied his career high with five RBIs, delivering the opening punch with a leadoff homer and then the knockout blow with a bases-clearing double in the eighth. Meanwhile, Feltner continued to pitch like a rotational pillar, with three hits, seven strikeouts and one earned run across six innings as his ERA stands at 2.81.

That duo spearheaded a 7-2 victory over Milwaukee at Coors Field, atoning for getting thumped in the first two games of the series as Colorado notched its third win of 2025 amid a 2-4 homestand.

“Timely hitting, solid pitching … That’s what it’s supposed to look like,” Rockies manager Bud Black said. “A big day by Doyle… and Feltner cinched his belt, got out of a bases-loaded situation with no outs and threw up two more zeros after that.”

Doyle started the game with a bang, blasting his third homer 391 feet down the left field line on a hanging slider. It was Doyle’s second leadoff homer of the season and third of his career.

That gave Feltner an early cushion en route to another solid outing.

After setting down the first six Brewers he faced, the right-hander worked around a two-out error by Tyler Freeman in the third. The second baseman bobbled a routine grounder by Brice Turang, putting runners on the corners, but Feltner got Jackson Chourio to ground out to end the threat.

As the Colorado offense went dormant against Brewers right-hander Quinn Priester, Feltner worked out of another jam in the fourth, this one self-induced. Feltner gave up consecutive doubles to start the frame to Christian Yelich and William Contreras, tying the game 1-1. Then he temporarily lost control, with two straight walks before a lineout by Joey Ortiz settled him back in.

With the bases loaded, Feltner K’d Oliver Dunn on three pitches, and then struck out Eric Haase on four pitches. The normally stoic Feltner let out a couple of roars as he walked off the mound.

“I proved a lot to myself in that moment, and those are moments in the past that maybe I wouldn’t have gotten through,” said Feltner, who was battling the flu. “(The emotion) definitely overtook me there.”

Feltner proceeded to set Milwaukee down in order in the fifth and sixth, cementing his quality start. With that, going back to last year, Feltner now has eight straight starts of five-plus innings with two or fewer earned runs. That’s the third-longest active such streak in baseball.

“I want to be that guy, or at least one of those guys, who can put a stop to any bad slide we have going on and give us a chance to win,” Feltner said.

Black believes the 28-year-old is tracking to be such a stopper, dating back to his dominant September last season when he posted a 1.78 ERA in five starts. Going back even further, Feltner has a 2.95 ERA dating back to June 26, 2024, the lowest mark in an 18-start span for a Colorado pitcher since German Marquez across 2018-19.

“That education is never over, but (Feltner) is getting closer to knowing who he really is,” Black said.

With the offenses stalemated, it was Doyle who again came through for Colorado in the seventh to make it a 2-1 game. His single off Abner Uribe scored Mickey Moniak, who walked to lead off the inning and then was advanced to second on Jacob Stallings’ sacrifice bunt.

The Brewers tied the game again in the 8th as Jake Bird yielded an infield hit and then two straight walks. Southpaw Scott Alexander came in to clean up the mess, and he got a double-play and K to end the inning.

In the bottom of that inning, Colorado struck back in an inning jump-started by Ryan McMahon’s double off the right-field wall. Michael Toglia’s double scored him to make it 3-2. Then, Kris Bryant came on to pinch-hit with the bases loaded and one out, and struck out, prompting a smattering of boos.

But Doyle followed with a bases-clearing double to seal the game, before he was scored by Zac Veen’s first career extra-base hit via a double off the right-field wall.

“That’s a big momentum shift for us (after struggling to a 2-9 start),” Doyle said. “We want to build on it.”

McMahon, who addressed the team in the clubhouse following the Brewers’ 17-2 demolition on Wednesday night, was pleased with Colorado’s response on Thursday in a tight game that got broken open late.

“We got a little bit embarrassed (on Wednesday), and I think the guys took that personally, so it was good to see (Doyle) have a huge day,” McMahon said. “He basically put us on his back.”

Colorado now heads on a gut-check California road trip with three games in San Diego followed by three games in Los Angeles against the defending World Series champions. The Rockies return home for a quick three-game series against the Nationals starting next Friday, April 18.

Friday’s pitching matchup

Rockies RHP German Marquez (0-1, 2.45 ERA) at Padres RHP Nick Pivetta (1-1, 2.70)

7:40 p.m. Friday, Petco Park

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

Radio: 850 AM, 94.1 FM

Trending: The Rockies held shortstop Ezequiel Tovar out of the lineup on Thursday due to what manager Bud Black described as a hip injury that’s been nagging Tovar for a couple of games. Black said the injury isn’t significant enough to be of major concern, but the training staff is monitoring it. Kyle Farmer got his first Colorado start at shortstop in place of Tovar, who played in all 11 games to start 2025 but has yet to homer.

Pitching probables

Saturday: Rockies RHP Chase Dollander (1-0, 7.20) at Padres LHP Kyle Hart (1-0, 11.42), 6:40 p.m.

Sunday: Rockies LHP Kyle Freeland (0-2, 3.79) at Padres RHP Michael King (2-0, 4.05), 2:10 p.m.

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