NEW YORK -- The Rockies are on a streak -- a streak they don’t want any part of.
By losing to the Mets, 8-2, on Saturday at Citi Field, Colorado extended its MLB-record streak to 22 consecutive series defeats, spanning back to last September.
The Rockies also became the first team since the 1995 Marlins (8-24) to enter June with fewer than 10 wins. Colorado is now 9-49. Keep this in perspective: The 2024 White Sox, who set the Major League record with 121 losses, had 15 wins going into the month of June last year.
When asked what he had to say to the Rockies fans who want to see progress, interim manager Warren Schaeffer replied, “Stick with us. I think you are seeing progress if you are watching the game closely.
“Today was not our best game, admittedly. But we have been playing good baseball for the last 10 days. We just haven’t had the 'W's coming.”
If there were any positive news from Saturday’s game, it came in the first inning against Mets right-hander Kodai Senga. Only one player has ever touched Senga’s signature forkball for a home run since he entered the league in 2023 -- Jon Berti on Sept. 27 of his debut season. That changed when Ezequiel Tovar swung at a 3-2 forkball and hit it over the left-field wall to give Colorado a 1-0 lead.
“[Senga] left that pitch up and Tovar is a good hitter,” Schaeffer said.
But Senga was untouchable after Tovar hit it out of the park, retiring 17 straight hitters before allowing a leadoff walk to Tovar in the seventh. By the time Senga left the game that inning, the Rockies scored their last run of the day on an RBI single by Thairo Estrada. Colorado would load the bases against reliever José Buttó with two outs later in the frame, but Kyle Farmer struck out to end the threat.
It was also a game Rockies right-hander Antonio Senzatela would like to forget. He allowed seven runs in four innings and was upset that he couldn’t give his team a quality start. Colorado's one-run lead was quickly erased in the bottom of the first when Senzatela allowed four runs. Brett Baty had the biggest blow with a three-run triple.
Senzatela settled down and held the Mets in check in the next two frames, but he allowed three more runs in the fourth -- all with two outs. After Francisco Lindor singled, Brandon Nimmo parked his ninth homer into the seats. Juan Soto followed and homered over the left-center-field wall.
“I put too many pitches up in the strike zone. They hit the ball pretty well. … It was a poor game,” Senzatela said.
It's easy to forget that Senzatela returned from Tommy John surgery last September. He has been healthy for the most part this year, but he hasn’t had a quality start since April 20 against the Nationals. Since that day, Senzatela has lost all of his seven starts and allowed 37 runs (33 earned) in 33 2/3 innings. Senzatela is still trying to find the form that made him one of the Rockies’ best starters as recently as 2021.
“I had it early in the season,” Senzatela said. “I lost it for a little bit. I’m just going to keep working my [butt] off every day. I’m trying to find that guy. My arm is feeling good, but [I have to keep] working on my pitches.”
Senzatela, too, is asking Rockies fans to stay patient with the team.
“Stay there with us,” he said. “We need your support. We are trying to win the ballgame every day. Sometimes, we just don’t win. [Schaeffer] tries to put in everybody’s mind that we are a good team. We are going to win, and we are supposed to win.”