Rockies’ GM Bill Schmidt backs Bud Black, says team “capable of doing better” ...Middle East

The state of the Rockies is bad. Insert understatement.

They entered Saturday night’s game against the Padres at Coors Field on a seven-game losing streak, owning a historically bad 6-32 record and sitting 19 1/2 games behind the Dodgers in the National League West.

General manager Bill Schmidt, who’s been with the franchise for more than 25 years, is aware of the major issues: a lackluster offense, ineffective starting pitching and shaky defense.

However, he still believes the Rockies can save their season and doesn’t believe it’s time to fire manager Bud Black.

“I feel for the fans, I feel for the people around here,” Schmidt said. “I know we are better than we have played, but we are not good right now. We have to battle through it and get to the other side.

“There are still a lot of games left. I think we can turn it around, but it’s going to take a whole group to do it. The guys are working to get better.”

But what does “turn it around” mean for a team playing .158 baseball?

“Just growth. Playing better baseball,” he said. “We are not doing it right now, but we are capable of doing it.”

The Rockies are headed toward their seventh consecutive losing season, and possibly a third straight 100-loss season, with Black at the helm, but Schmidt backed up Black on Saturday.

“I think our guys are still playing hard, and that’s what I look at,” Schmidt said. “Guys are working hard every day, they come with energy, for the most part. I don’t think we are (at that point of firing Black). Guys still believe in what we are doing and where we are headed. We are all frustrated.”

Colorado has had its share of injuries. The most damaging was the loss of new second baseman Thairo Estrada (fractured wrist), who has yet to play a game, and Gold Glove shortstop Ezequiel Tovar (left hip contusion), who has missed 21 games. Tovar was scheduled to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Albuquerque on Saturday night.

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Those two players’ absence, coupled with sloppy play from other players, is why Colorado’s defense ranks worst in the majors. Colorado entered Saturday with 34 errors (the most in MLB) and a .976 fielding percentage (the lowest in MLB).

Schmidt said that those injuries and slow starts at the plate from third baseman Ryan McMahon, first baseman Michael Toglia and center fielder Brenton Doyle have contributed to the Rockies’ tie with the 1988 Baltimore Orioles for the worst 38-game start in the modern era (since 1901).

“It’s almost like a perfect storm,” he said. “But people don’t care (about that), we have to play better. I feel for ownership, I feel for the fans.”

Schmidt did say that moving Clint Hurdle from special assistant to the hitting coach (replacing Hensley “Bam Bam” Meulens) was working out well.

“I think Clint has done a good job,” Schmidt said. “He’s been a positive with the young kids … even some veteran guys. We are getting a little bit away from the mechanics and more about what’s going on between the ears. We are seeing better at-bats, and we’re cutting the strikeouts down a little bit.”

Bryant up Veteran designated hitter Kris Bryant returned to Denver on Friday after undergoing an ablation procedure on his back in Los Angeles on Thursday.

Bryant said Saturday that there was no timetable for his return to baseball activities, let alone appearing in a game.

Bryant, 33, said doctors told him “to take it easy for a couple of weeks and then ramp back up as tolerated and see how it feels.”

Bryant and the Rockies hope that the ablation procedure will relieve the pain that has interfered with his rehab from chronic lumbar degenerative disc disease, which has limited him to 11 games this year. He has not played since April 12, and there is a good chance he will soon transfer from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day IL.

According to the Mayo Clinic, nerve ablation is a procedure that destroys nerves in an area of pain. Destroying the nerves helps reduce or stop pain signals. It can sometimes help relieve long-term pain. Bryant said he chose to undergo the procedure when shots didn’t alleviate his pain.

Bryant, who signed a seven-year, $182 million contract before the 2022 season, has no projection as to when he might return this season.

“I want to get back to a baseline and go from there,” he said. “For me, at this point, it’s just taking it one day at a time and continuing to do everything in my power to find a way to navigate this.”

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