Friday Rockpile: Are the Rockies breaking out of their offensive drought at home?

There's no doubt that the Colorado Rockies are improved from 2025.

They've got a better record than they had at this point in the season last year, and in some areas, they've made clear improvement.

However, the Rockies still rank dead last in runs allowed at 397, which has the basement rankings sealed at 32 more than the No. 29 Nationals. That averages out to 5.75 runs per game.

While it's not ideal, it might be manageable if Colorado had a powerful offense that could put up the runs in the counterattack. But the Rockies don't.

The Rockies are tied at No. 15 with 297 runs scored, for an average of 4.30 runs per game. Considering the perennial challenges of pitching at Coors Field and adjusting on the road, the Rockies have a better chance of fielding a hard-hitting lineup than a knockout pitching staff.

There are several reasons for the Rockies lack of offensive prowess and run production, including Ezequiel Tovar's strikeout problems and injuries. But one of the most peculiar things about Colorado's struggles is the challenges to take advantage of the thin air and spacious outfield at Coors Field.

In 34 games, the Rockies offense is tied at No. 11 at home with 157 runs. That's 4.62 per game, just above Colorado's 140 for an average of four runs per game on the road. Considering that opponents are averaging 6.41 runs per game at 20th and Blake, other teams seem able to hit at Coors Field just fine.

The problems are evident in Colorado's 14-20 record at home (.412), which is just slightly better than the team's 12-23 road record (.343). Only the San Francisco Giants (13) and Boston Red Sox (10) have fewer wins at home. Massive crowds of opposing fans in Denver don't help.

The 14-20 includes a 2-4 performance when the Rockies were swept by the Milwaukee Brewers and took a series 2-1 against the Chicago Cubs in the most recent homestand, which wrapped up Thursday. Colorado was outscored 42-25 over the six-game stretch, including being outscored 28-12 against Milwaukee.

The Rockies were out-homered 11-8 over the homestand, but mostly due to the Brewers, who hit six while the Rockies hit two. The Rockies did out-homer Chicago 6-5. Of course, the Brewers (41-25) are better than the Cubs (35-34), which explains the split, but it also could mean the Rockies are improving.

After Thursday's 9-3 loss, when the Rockies actually out-hit the Cubs 12-10, Colorado manager Warren Schaeffer was impressed by the Rockies at-bats and contact, which included putting 19 balls in play that were over 90 mph.

“A lot of hard outs. Some days it just goes like that. Some days you hit it right at people,†Schaeffer said.

“We had an opportunity in the sixth inning with the bases loaded to flip the script of the game, and got no runs out of it. We'd like to put better at-bats together right there to push something forward, but then the momentum shifts right there. But overall, I thought we swung the bats pretty well.â€

One example of that potential improvement is Hunter Goodman. The 2025 All-Star catcher has hit much better away from Coors Field this season.

In the first five games against the Brewers and Cubs, Goodman hit three homers, drove in six runs, totaled five hits, stole a base and drew five walks. A 0-for-5 performance with three strikeouts on Thursday didn't help, but Goodman could be figuring things out at Coors. Considering that Goodman had four homers at Coors Field entering the homestand, his three over the last six games, which moved him to 18 on the season, was a big deal.

Hopefully, Mickey Moniak and Tyler Freeman will be back from injuries to add power and hits to the lineup the next time the Rockies return to Coors Field June 19-24 to host the Pittsburgh Pirates and Boston Red Sox. Combined with the bats of impressive rookies like TJ Rumfield and Cole Carrigg, perhaps the Rockies offense is trending up at Coors Field.

In the meantime, the Rockies are headed to a hitters' paradise to play The Athletics at Las Vegas Ballpark, home to the Triple-A Aviators, this weekend. In a three-game series there Monday-Wednesday, the A's and Brewers combined to hit 22 homers and score 48 runs. With right field and left field foul poles each at 340 feet, plus highs expected around 106-107 degrees this weekend, the Rockies could use the weekend to turn on the offense — as long as they stay hydrated.

Triple-A: Tacoma Rainiers 9, Albuquerque Isotopes 5

Zac Veen hit a two-run homer in the first inning and Charlie Condon hit a two-run home run in the sixth, but it wasn't enough for Albuquerque on Thursday night. Condon's shot put the Istopes up 5-3, but Tacoma put up a five-spot in the sixth to earn a lead it never lost. Veen also added a double and Condon drove in three runs.

Double-A: Hartford Yard Goats 5, New Hampshire Fisher Cats 3

Jack Mahoney struck out 10 batters in five scoreless innings, giving up only one run to improve to 3-0 on the season and lead the Yard Goats to a victory on Thursday. The game got off to a good start when Dyan Jorge led off the first inning with a double, then stole third and then stole home to score, despite the Yard Goats striking out three times in the frame. Zach Kokoska hit a two-run homer in the second inning to give Hardford a 3-0 lead. Roc Riggio added an RBI double in the fifth and Cole Messina hit an RBI single in the eighth for an insurance run. Jorge recorded three hits and scored two runs, Bryant Betancourt, Messina and Kokosa each added two hits.

High-A: Spokane Indians 7, Eugene Emeralds 6

Max Belyeu hit two solo homers, including one in the top of the ninth, to help Spokane overcome a 6-3 deficit for a late win. Tommy Hopfe and Kelvin Hidalgo each added a solo homer. Belyeu finished with three hits and drove in three runs, Hidalgo had two hits and scored two runs and Jack O'Dowd doubled and scored a run. Hunter Mann threw three scoreless innings with three strikeouts to close out the game and earn the win.

Low-A: Fresno Grizzlies 7, Visalia Rawhide 5

Fresno scored four runs in the sixth inning to go up 7-4 after Yeiker Reyes hit an RBI single, Ashly Andujar followed with a two-run single and Roldy Brito finished out the inning with another run-scoring single. Carlos Renzullo hit an RBI single and drove in another on a sac grounder and Brito hit a run-scoring single to help the Grizzlies score their first three runs by the fifth inning. Along with Brito, Reyes and Andujar both recorded two hits. Manuel Olivares threw two solid innings, giving up one run to earn the win.

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