Do you remember?
Yesterday, the Colorado Rockies lost 10-7 to the Arizona Diamondbacks. It was their ninth consecutive loss. In their last eighteen games, they have lost sixteen total. In order to avoid a 100 loss season, the Rockies must win at least five of their ten remaining games. If they keep up their monthly pace, they will only win two, and finish with a 60-102 record.
A century mark in the L column wasn't always such a sure thing. As recently as last month, it appeared that the Rockies had improved enough to avoid triple-digit losses. In August, the Rockies went 16-13, with a .552 winning percentage. That isn't an overwhelmingly incredible mark or anything--though a season-long winning percentage of .552 would be enough to win the AL Central--but it still appeared that the Rockies would remain the only other franchise besides the Los Angeleheim Angels to avoid a 100+ loss season.
But then the calendar flipped to September. September, when the Rockies are 5-17, with a .227 winning percentage. September, when fans wonder if or when the season's longest losing streak will end. September, when one more loss will tie the franchise record for most (95 in 1993 and 2005) in a season.
That's a horrible month. But for the Rockies, horrible play in September is becoming a trend.
Last year, the Rockies limped to the finish with a 9-16 record (.360 win%) in September. That month also saw a nine game losing streak, as the Rockies lost eleven of their final fourteen games.
Even in 2010, the last season that the club put together a respectable winning season (83-79), the Rockies lost thirteen of their last fourteen games, including an eight game losing streak which stopped only because the season ended. What's more, this collapse came during a (failed) push to make Ubaldo Jiménez a twenty game winner.
Three years. Three terrible Septembers. The playoff runs in 2007 and 2009 gave the Rockies a reputation of always having a late season surge. But for the Rockies teams in this decade, the opposite is true, without any exceptions.
A 100 loss season will be a bummer. But what really scares me is the possibility that the Rockies might finish with a worse record than the Cubs. Ugh.
A century mark in the L column wasn't always such a sure thing. As recently as last month, it appeared that the Rockies had improved enough to avoid triple-digit losses. In August, the Rockies went 16-13, with a .552 winning percentage. That isn't an overwhelmingly incredible mark or anything--though a season-long winning percentage of .552 would be enough to win the AL Central--but it still appeared that the Rockies would remain the only other franchise besides the Los Angeleheim Angels to avoid a 100+ loss season.
But then the calendar flipped to September. September, when the Rockies are 5-17, with a .227 winning percentage. September, when fans wonder if or when the season's longest losing streak will end. September, when one more loss will tie the franchise record for most (95 in 1993 and 2005) in a season.
That's a horrible month. But for the Rockies, horrible play in September is becoming a trend.
Last year, the Rockies limped to the finish with a 9-16 record (.360 win%) in September. That month also saw a nine game losing streak, as the Rockies lost eleven of their final fourteen games.
Even in 2010, the last season that the club put together a respectable winning season (83-79), the Rockies lost thirteen of their last fourteen games, including an eight game losing streak which stopped only because the season ended. What's more, this collapse came during a (failed) push to make Ubaldo Jiménez a twenty game winner.
Three years. Three terrible Septembers. The playoff runs in 2007 and 2009 gave the Rockies a reputation of always having a late season surge. But for the Rockies teams in this decade, the opposite is true, without any exceptions.
A 100 loss season will be a bummer. But what really scares me is the possibility that the Rockies might finish with a worse record than the Cubs. Ugh.
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