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Top 5 Not-So-Good Things To Expect From The Rockies This Season

DENVER (CBS4) - Baseball season is only a week away and Colorado Rockies fans are -- as always -- excited to start a new year with high expectations. But for a team that's only seen the postseason three times in franchise history and has suffered four losing seasons in a row, there are some trends fans have come to expect.

1. The Swoon - Historically May is the worst month for the Rockies, but last year it was June and July (8 wins each month). The Rockies seem to fall victim to a bad month that they never can recover from. Whether it's injuries, poor road hitting or a leaky bullpen, in recent seasons the Rockies have experienced a dismal month of losses that dooms the club.

LaTroy Hawkins
LaTroy Hawkins (credit: CBS)

2. Bullpen Breakdown - The Rockies bullpen was brutal last season. This year manager Walt Weiss has made it clear that he's sticking with 42-year-old LaTroy Hawkins as the closer, which could pose a problem as the long season chugs along. If the oldest player in the majors stumbles, he could be replaced by former Brewers and Indians closer John Axford, who has had some brilliant seasons and some disastrous ones.

Starting pitcher Kyle Kendrick
Starting pitcher Kyle Kendrick #38 of the Philadelphia Phillies delivers to home plate during the first inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on April 19, 2014 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)

3. Starting Rotation In Flux - Jhoulys Chacin and the oft-injured Brett Anderson and Kyle Kendrick has arrived from Philly. Tyler Matzek will be entering his first full major league season after impressing the Rockies last year. Workhorse Jorge De La Rosa will likely once again need to provide stability to a rotation that has fluctuated a lot in recent years. Jordan Lyles will need to build on his solid first season with the Rockies last year. All five positions in the rotation still aren't filled this late in spring training. Another season with a rotation in a constant state of flux is definitely not out of the question, especially if injuries start to pile up.

Troy Tulowitzki
Troy Tulowitzki of the Colorado Rockies slaps hands with Wilin Rosario #20 after Tulowitzki hit a two-run homer in the top of the third inning against the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park on June 15, 2014 in San Francisco. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

4. Inevitable Star Injuries - Carlos Gonzalez recently had a scare in spring training after feeling pain in his surgically-repaired knee, but he said he just "panicked" and that he's healthy. Troy Tulowitzki is hammering the ball down in Arizona and also looking like his old Gold Glove self in the field. The question remains, however, how long can the Rockies' two mega-stars stay healthy. Every year it just seems it's a matter of time one -- or both -- lose a substantial amount of playing time to injury.

Walt Weiss
Manager Walt Weiss #22 of the Colorado Rockies watches from the dugout during the spring training game against the San Diego Padres at Peoria Stadium on March 8, 2015 in Peoria, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

5. Manager Under Scrutiny - Walt Weiss has remained steady at the helm in his first two years as Rockies manager, but anytime your team is losing more games than it's winning the blame always falls in part on the guy controlling the Xs and Os. Like Clint Hurdle and Jim Tracy before him, Walt Weiss is well-liked by the fans and the players have his back. And one has to look at the fact that he didn't have a lot of say in making roster decisions when looking at his team's poor showing in the win column. But new general manager Jeff Bridich says he's granting Weiss more control of the roster. With that said, it could be a make or break year for Weiss, who could soon go the way of Hurdle (fired) and Tracy (resigned).

- By Matthew J. Buettner, CBSDenver.com

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