The Colorado Rockies secured their 63rd win of the 2015 season on Saturday, defeating the San Diego Padres 10-2 at Coors Field, ensuring they will once again avoid a 100-loss season. Sadly, that has become the only cause for celebration at 20th and Blake, come September.
Highlights from Saturday’s rout of the Padres include Nolan Arenado’s 2-for-4 night, which saw him increase his lead on Paul Goldschmidt for the NL RBI crown by two (114 to 100), and rookie Tom Murphy knocking his first three Major League hits, one a home run.
Christian Bergman picked up the win for Colorado after taking over for Yohan Flande, who left the game in the third inning after being struck in the knee by a line drive. According to MLB.com, “He sustained a contusion of the left patellar tendon. X-rays were negative.”
The win assured that the Rockies will not suffer the fate of being a 100-loss team, a yoke the club has avoided thus far in its 23-year history, albeit very closely. In 2014 Colorado ended the season with 96 losses and endured a franchise-worst 98-loss season in 2012.
Colorado currently holds a .426 winning percentage, on pace for the sixth-worst finish in team history. 2012 and ’14 hold the top two spots on that unceremonious list, respectively.
Were the season to end today, Colorado would have the fourth pick in the 2016 MLB Draft, which would be the third time in four years the Rockies will have had a top-five pick.
The Rockies continue to occupy the bottom of the NL West standings, on pace for their third last-place finish in the division in four years. Even if they can climb out of last place, they will have finished last or second-to-last in each of the last five years.
Colorado concludes their series with San Diego on Sunday before Pittsburgh and Los Angeles come to Coors Field to round out the home schedule.
