Rockies notch worst 50-game start in MLB history after sweep by Phillies

The Chicago White Sox became the losingest team in MLB history last season. The Colorado Rockies are on pace to blow that achievement in futility out of the water.

With a 2-0 home loss to the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday, the Rockies saw their record fall to 8-42. It is the worst 50-game start in MLB history, breaking a mark previously held by the 2023 Oakland Athletics, who won two more games at 10-40.

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Colorado entered this season with rock-bottom expectations and have still failed to reach them. The team has already fired manager Bud Black — back when their record was just 7-33 — but that won't change a roster short on firepower in every conceivable way

Let's just rattle off how bad this team has been through nearly two months, beyond their record:

• They have not won a single series all season and have now been swept seven times, with the Phillies taking all four games in this week's series.

• They have won consecutive games only once this season.

• Their minus-159 run differential is not just the worst in MLB (nearly double the second-worst Baltimore Orioles, who are minus-85). They are on pace for a minus-515 run differential, which would the worst mark in MLB history by more than 100 runs.

• They lost a game 21-0 to the San Diego Padres, a margin worse than any loss the White Sox took last year. They were shut out by a Rule 5 Draft pick making his second career start in that game.

• They are the worst offense in MLB by wRC+, which weighs park factors, at 66. Even granting them the advantage of Coors Field sees them post a .646 team OPS, third-worst in MLB.

• Their pitching staff is fifth-worst in MLB by ERA- at 125, which again weighs Coors Field. Without that consideration, their 5.82 team ERA is easily worst in MLB.

• Their starting pitchers have a 6.86 ERA.

• They are the worst fielding team in MLB by some metrics as well, such as -33 defensive runs saved.

• They are 3-13 against the NL West, a division with no other clubs below .500.

• Despite three straight last-place finishes and no winning records since 2018, their minor-league system came in as only the 18th-best on MLB Pipeline's preseason rankings. The Los Angeles Dodgers, who have not picked higher than 20th since 2013, were fourth.

At this point, baseball fans are used to rebuilding cycles. They're used to bad teams not trying to get better anytime soon, so they can rack up draft picks and pick up free money from the league's revenue-sharing system. We've gone from 100-loss teams being something of a rarity to having multiple teams reach that mark each season.

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These Rockies are shaping up to be something new, the opposite of an apex predator. They are on pace to finish the season 26-136, in a sport where a team just received a torrent of mockery while setting an MLB record with 121 losses.

There is some reason to expect improvement, from sheer regression (by Pythagorean record, their run differential implies they should have won two more games) to some injured players returning. Unfortunately, even mild improvement would still leave this team as the worst baseball has ever seen.