At the start of every baseball season, hope springs eternal — even for the Colorado Rockies.
In recent seasons, that optimism of better play quickly evaporated as the Rockies were practically eliminated from the playoffs by the end of April.
This April was different.
Even after Thursday’s loss to the Cincinnati Reds, the Rockies just concluded their best April since 2022.
With a 13-14 record (.481 winning percentage), Colorado won more games in their first full month of play than in the last two Aprils
combined. That means a 14-18 overall record this season compared to 5-25 last season at the end of April.
As painful as it is, let’s look at those last three Aprils to really appreciate their start to 2026.
- Last season, the Rockies were a woeful 4-22 for a .154 winning percentage. They were outscored 157-87 for a -70 run differential.
- In 2024, the Rockies went 6-19 in April for a .240 winning percentage and were outscored 151-98 for a -53 run differential.
- In 2023, Colorado went 7-20 (.259) and had a -42 run differential (104-166).
This year, the Rockies have only been outscored 124-115 (-9). Think about what a big difference that is — from -70 to -9. The impact is on both sides of the ball as Colorado is scoring more runs (24 more than last April) and allowing fewer (33).
The pitching — starters and bullpen — have made the biggest difference as the Rockies.TV broadcast crew pointed out against the Reds. Going into Thursday’s game, the Rockies had registered the fourth-largest decrease in team ERA since 1913 with a -1.85 improvement from 2025. After Thursday’s game, the Rockies team ERA stands at 4.19 and ranks No. 16 in MLB. Last year, the Rockies finished dead last in ERA at 5.97.
Colorado’s 13 wins are the most since 2022 when the team went 12-9 in a lockout-shortened month. The Rockies were still outscored 109-94 in April that season, but that was still the Rockies best and only winning month of the season.
This April’s performance was not only better than the last three Aprils, but also better than any month in the last two seasons.
- In 2025, the Rockies best month came in June when they went 10-16.
- In 2024, Colorado’s best month was when they posted a 12-16 record in August.
- In 2023, the Rockies best month was in May when they put up a 15-13 record.
The 2026 April showing is all the more impressive considering that 18 of the Rockies 27 games in the month were against teams that went to the playoffs in 2025. In those games, the Rockies went 6-12 including a 2-2 split against the defending World Series Champion Dodgers. Also, 14 of the 27 games were on the road, where the Rockies went 6-8. That includes the Rockies 13-2 victory over the Reds on April 29, which was the largest road win since Sept. 25, 2011, when they beat the Astros by 16 runs.
At home, the guys in purple actually put up a winning record of 7-6. Even at Coors Field, the Rockies pitchers are ranked No. 23 with a home ERA of 4.62. While it’s still very early in the season, it’s a monumental improvement from 2025’s worst-ranked 6.47 in the Mile High City.
The Rockies now enter May with a 14-18 record. Instead of their usual last-place standing in MLB, the Rockies are better than or have the same record as eight teams, including their NL West opponent Giants. The complete list of teams with worse records than Colorado is as follows:
- New York Mets (10-21)
- Philadelphia Phillies (11-19)
- Los Angeles Angels (12-20)
- Houston Astros (12-20)
- Kansas City Royals (12-19)
- Boston Red Sox (12-19)
- Minnesota Twins (14-18)
- San Francisco Giants (13-18)
The Rockies ended April one win shy of a winning record in the month. If they can progress to posting a mark at or above .500 later this season, it will be the first time since 2022. The last time the Rockies posted multiple winning months was in 2021 when they went 14-13 in June and August and broke even at 13-13 in September. They finished that season with a 74-87 record that has felt completely out of reach since then.
Whether it’s in May or later this season, the Rockies are trending toward posting a winning month. If it happens, it will be worth celebrating.
On the Farm
Triple-A: El Paso Chihuahuas 12, Albuquerque Isotopes 2
When Jose Cordova singled in Charlie Condon in the fourth inning, Albuquerque cut El Paso’s lead to 2-1. By the sixth inning, the Chihuahuas took control of the game with a 9-1 lead and never looked back on the way to victory. The Isotopes were outhit 13-7 and weren’t helped by two fielding errors that led to five unearned runs. Cole Carrigg hit an RBI single to plate Vimael Machín to account for Albuquerque’s second and final run.
Double-A: Reading Fightin Phils 15, Hartford Yard Goats 5
Reading totaled 14 hits, centered on an 11-run third inning, in a blowout over Hartford on Thursday. By the end of the third, the Fightin Phils were up 14-0. In the fourth, Aidan Longwell hit a solo homer, his third of the season, to put the Yard Goats on the board. Longwell struck again in the sixth when he hit a two-run double to score Dyan Jorge and Andy Perez. In the seventh, Jose Torres hit his third homer of the season and Zach Kokosha scored when Perez hit into a double play to round out the scoring for Hartford.
High-A: Eugene Emeralds 7, Spokane Indians 5
Kevin Fitzer started the game with a bang, hitting a two-run homer and Max Belyeu added a solo shot in the second to help Spokane take a 3-0 lead. That was wiped away when Carlos Gutierrez hit a bases-loaded triple and Eugene went up 4-3 in the third. Fitzer struck again with an RBI double in the fifth to plate Tevin Tucker and tie the game. Fitzer then came around to score when Jacob Humphrey singled him in to put the Indians up 5-4. The Emeralds (18-5) had one more comeback in them when they put up three-run frame in the eighth to beat Spokane (8-15).
Low-A: Stockton Ports 9, Fresno Grizzlies 8
Roldy Brito hit a grand slam, Jack O’Dowd hit a solo homer and added an RBI single on a three-hit night and Kyle Fossum went 3-for-3 with a run and RBI, but it wasn’t enough for Fresno against the Ports on Thursday. O’Dowd’s homer in the seventh put the Grizzlies up 8-7. Unfortunately for Fresno, the Ports rallied back in the eighth with a three-hit, two-run frame to complete the comeback.
Kyle Newman checks in with Colorado’s new president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta about the problematic ways the Rockies were developing and debuting prospects in the past and his new approach. Newman examines the problems faced by Zac Veen and how the Rockies first-round pick in 2020 is now sober and on a better track to succeed. Newman also explains how DePodesta doesn’t think Charlie Condon, the No. 3 overall draft pick from 2024, may continue to play in Triple-A for the foreseeable future, so the mistake of promoting players before they are ready isn’t repeated.
Rockies’ Most Under-the-Radar Signing Is Turning Into Their Best Move | SI.com
While Colorado’s entire pitching staff has been more effective in 2026, this article highlights how Tomoyuki Sugano has been one of the best additions to the rotation. Along with Chase Dollander, Sugano leads the team with three wins. His .284 ERA is the best among the Rockies starting pitchers (not including Dollander, who has mostly come out of the bullpen) and is tied for No. 25 in MLB.
Time to mix and match? For 2026 Rockies, it’s the only way | MLB.com
In recapping Thursday’s game and the Rockies six-game road trip, Thomas Harding highlights the strengths of all the roster changes manager Warren Schaeffer makes from game to game and in-game. He also points out the pitching challenges and offensive benefits of playing at Great American Small Ball Park, as well as how the Rockies posted a 4-2 mark on the road trip, which is something they only did once in 2025 and never in 2024.
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