Despite 21-0 Embarrassment, Rockies GM Stands by Bud Black

Saturday night at Coors Field didn’t just go wrong for the Colorado Rockies—it completely collapsed.

The Rockies were demolished 21-0 by the San Diego Padres, a loss so lopsided that it left even longtime fans at a loss for words. This wasn’t just another bad night for a rebuilding team. This was historically awful. It tied them with the 1988 Baltimore Orioles for the worst 39-game start (6-33) in modern Major League Baseball history. Let that sink in.

And the wild part? Just hours before this franchise-worst beating, Rockies general manager Bill Schmidt publicly backed manager Bud Black. He said he still believed in the team, still trusted Black, and wasn’t thinking about making a change.

After Saturday night, that stance feels… shaky at best.

How Do You Even Explain 21-0

Let’s be real—there’s no good way to sugarcoat a loss like this. The Rockies were completely overwhelmed from the first pitch.

Fernando Tatis Jr. and Xander Bogaerts both launched home runs in the fifth inning as part of a five-homer barrage by the Padres. By the time the dust settled, the Rockies had been shut out, beaten by three touchdowns, and left with the worst loss in franchise history. It was also the biggest shutout win in Padres history and tied for the third-largest shutout margin in MLB since 1901.

It was the kind of loss that makes you wonder if the scoreboard glitched.

On the mound, Padres rookie Stephen Kolek made just his second career start—and he didn’t just beat the Rockies, he shut them down completely. A shutout in Denver? That doesn’t happen often. But nothing about Saturday was normal.

A Long, Slow Fall

This wasn’t an isolated disaster, either. The Rockies are now riding an eight-game losing streak. In fact, their last four losses have all been by at least eight runs. According to Elias Sports Bureau, they’re the first team to allow 10+ runs in four straight games since the 2021 Orioles. That’s not the kind of company you want to keep.

Their current record—6 wins, 33 losses—isn’t just bad. It’s historically awful. Only a handful of teams in the last 125 years have started this poorly. Even by the Rockies’ modest standards, this is rock bottom.

And yet, despite all of that, Bud Black is still the manager. Why?

GM Bill Schmidt Still Has Bud’s Back

Before the game, in an interview with The Denver Post, Rockies GM Bill Schmidt made it clear: Bud Black is not on the hot seat—yet.

“I think our guys are still playing hard, and that’s what I look at,” Schmidt said. “They’re working, they show up with energy. I don’t think we’re at the point of making that kind of change.”

It’s a surprising stance to take, especially just before the team gave up 21 runs at home. But it speaks to the kind of loyalty Schmidt—and the Rockies as an organization—have historically shown their leaders.

Black, who’s been with Colorado since 2017, is now in his eighth season. He led them to back-to-back playoff appearances in 2017 and 2018, but the team hasn’t had a winning record since. If this season stays on its current track, it’ll be their seventh straight losing season and their third in a row with over 100 losses.

Still, Schmidt isn’t pulling the plug. Not yet.

We’re Better Than This – But Are They

Schmidt’s belief seems rooted in effort and character, not results.

“I feel for the fans, I feel for the people around here,” he said. “We’re better than we’ve played, but we’re just not good right now. There’s still a lot of baseball left. I think we can turn it around—but it’s going to take everybody.”

It’s a fine thing to say. Hopeful, even. But it rings hollow when your team just got embarrassed 21-0 in your own ballpark.

You can’t fake your way out of a record like 6-33. And “trying hard” doesn’t show up in the standings. At some point, wins and losses matter more than clubhouse energy.

Fans Are Running Out of Patience

Look, Rockies fans are used to hard times. They’ve sat through more down years than up. But this? This is testing even the most diehard loyalists.

Social media exploded Saturday night. Calls to fire Bud Black. Demands for a total rebuild. Questions about ownership, leadership, vision—you name it. The frustration is boiling over.

And honestly? Can you blame them?

This isn’t a team that’s losing close games. They’re getting blown out. They’re getting laughed at. The Rockies have become the punchline of the 2025 season, and it’s not even June.

If you were at Coors Field Saturday night, you saw it happen in real time. The stadium started to empty by the sixth inning. Fans weren’t mad—they were numb.

Where Do They Go From Here

The answer isn’t simple.

The Rockies don’t have a deep farm system. They don’t have many trade chips. They’re not tanking, but they’re not competing. They’re stuck in the worst place a franchise can be: irrelevant and unwatchable.

Firing Bud Black won’t fix everything overnight. But it might show fans that the front office sees what they see—that this isn’t acceptable, and change is needed. Right now, the message is: “We’re fine with this.”

Schmidt insists he’s looking for “growth” as the season continues. But again, what does that look like? What counts as growth when you’re losing by double digits every other night?

This is no longer just a bad start. It’s a crisis.

Source: Rockies GM backs manager Bud Black before 21-0 loss to Padres

The Clock Is Ticking

If the Rockies lose a few more games this week, they’ll break the all-time MLB record for worst 40-game start. That’s not a stat you want attached to your franchise—or your manager.

Bud Black is respected across the league. He’s handled this storm with class. But baseball is a results business, and right now, the results are catastrophic.

The next week or two might decide his fate.

Bottom Line: Something Has to Change

Whether it’s Bud Black, a roster shake-up, or something higher up in the front office, the Rockies can’t keep pretending everything is okay. Because it’s not.

This is a team with the worst record in baseball, one of the worst starts in MLB history, and virtually no sign of turning things around.

“We’re better than this,” Schmidt said. But at 6-33, and after giving up 21 runs in a single night… are they really?

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