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Rockies Veteran Pitcher Has a Lot To Prove Down the Stretch of Season

Originally posted on Colorado Rockies on SI
By Kenneth Teape | Last updated Sep 6, 2025 6:30 PM ET

The Colorado Rockies were the first team eliminated from playoff contention in the MLB this year, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have anything to play for down the stretch of the season.

They will be motivated to play well and avoid some embarrassing MLB history. Last year, the Chicago White Sox set the single-season record for losses with 121. The Rockies need to win only one more game to avoid setting that mark after defeating the San Diego Padres 3-0 on Friday evening.

One record they aren’t going to be able to avoid is the single-season record for run differential. That mark was already met before the calendar turned to September. At this point, it is just a matter of how much they are going to break the record by. Already, they are sitting at minus-361 this campaign.

To limit that record, the Rockies need a few players to step up down the stretch. A few of their young hitters remaining hot would certainly help. Catcher Hunter Goodman has been excellent all season and shortstop Ezequiel Tovar has reminded everyone of the impact he can have, reaching an impressive career milestone recently.

Rockies Need More From Antonio Senzatela on the Mound

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Rookies Warming Bernabel and Kyle Karros provide some optimism for the future as well. And building some positive momentum as they head into the offseason would be an ideal outcome for that duo and the team.

However, there is one player who sticks out as having the most to prove down the stretch. In the opinion of Thomas Harding of MLB.com, it is one of their veterans as starting pitcher Antonio Senzatela will have a lot of eyes on him during the final month of the 2025 season.

“Senzatela returned this season after a lengthy rehab from Tommy John surgery, but only rarely this season did he appear to recapture his form. After Senzatela went 4-15 with a 7.42 ERA in 23 starts, manager Warren Schaeffer moved him to the bullpen to work out his issues. Senzatela is signed through next season at $12 million, and the Rockies will be looking for signs that he is finding himself,” Harding wrote.

Returning from an injury as serious as Tommy John surgery is hard enough. It takes a little while for pitchers to get back to feeling like themselves. Doing so in the hitter-friendly conditions of Coors Field makes it even more difficult.

This is only the second time in his career that Senzatela is on pace to have a negative impact with a minus-0.6 bWAR. He is better than he has shown in 2025, so finding his groove, even out of the bullpen, would be a step in the right direction for him and the franchise.

Under contract for 2026 as Harding noted, he will be a big part of the team’s plans in the starting rotation.