Rockie Bottom

Here's a riddle: how can a team that scores the most runs per game in the National League also have the third-worst record in baseball?

Answer: the team is the Colorado Rockies.

The Rockies are 25-41 despite scoring roughly five runs per game. That impressive feat is made possible by their miserable pitching staff, which collectively owns a 5.35 ERA. Opponents are hitting .298/.367/.484 against Rockies pitching, which is basically Andre Ethier's triple-slash line. The culprit is the starting rotation, which possesses an ERA well north of 6.00.

Ten different pitchers have already made starts for Colorado. That includes Jamie Moyer, who was cut after ten starts and a 5.70 ERA. The Rockies traded away Jason Hammel, who has become Baltimore's ace, to acquire Jeremy Guthrie, who has an ERA of 7.02 and a WHIP of 1.82. Alex White and Drew Pomeranz, the 'polished' prospects extracted from Cleveland for Ubaldo Jimenez, have ERAs of 5.56 and 4.70 respectively. Josh Outman and Guillermo Moscoso, received from Oakland for Seth Smith, have been even worse, with ERAs over 7.00. Jhoulys Chacin was pitching awful enough (7.30 ERA) to warrant a demotion before he got hurt. Former first-round pick Christian Friedrich (5.60 ERA) has been just as disappointing. Jorge de la Rosa and his $10 million salary haven't left the DL yet this season. Things have gotten so desperate that Jeff Francis is back in town, and has allowed 12 runs in his first 8.2 innings. Feel-good story Juan Nicasio might be Colorado's best pitcher, and his ERA is 5.28.

With so few quality starts to help them out, the bullpen arms have worn down. So manager Jim Tracy has come up with a solution to ease the workload on his pen: Guthrie is being moved to the bullpen, and the Rockies will switch to a four-man rotation with each starter on a 75-pitch limit. The backwards decision has been universally panned, even mocked, because rational people fail to see how the bullpen will get more rest with each starter unlikely to last more than five innings every game. It's just the latest act in a comedy of errors for Rockies management.

As if things couldn't get any worse, a lot has gone wrong for the position players, too. Star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki is dealing with an unknown groin injury and there is no timetable for his return. The team unnecessarily spent over $30 million on Michael Cuddyer when there were obvious pitching holes to fill. Marco Scutaro has mostly been a disappointment while the left-hander they traded away for him, Franklin Morales, would've been awfully useful right about now. Todd Helton is hitting .239. There's a black hole at third base. This is the best an $80 million payroll could buy.

It might be time for serious changes in Denver. The Rockies have gotten terrible returns in trades, haven't spent their financial resources wisely, mostly lack impact talent in the minor leagues, and continue to fail at developing pitching. Despite playing in the worst division in baseball, they haven't made the playoffs since 2009 and are locked in a battle for last place with the woeful Padres in 2012. These results are unacceptable.

The Rockies have a solid offensive core in Tulowitzki, Carlos Gonzalez, emerging center fielder Dexter Fowler, the surprising Tyler Colvin, catcher Wilin Rosario, and superprospect Nolan Arenado. But with no pitching or playoff hopes to speak of this season, the Rockies should spend the summer aggressively selling every name not on that list. Unloading assets like Scutaro, Cuddyer, and some bullpen arms will save money and could bring back a valuable piece or two for the future (hopefully pitching). At this point, that's the best anyone can hope for. The 2012 Rockies were a poorly-constructed disaster, and the sooner the front office comes to term with that fact, the sooner they can go back to the drawing board for 2013.