Denver, CO
Rockies’ Bud Black on returning for ninth season: “I want to be part of the solution”
Bud Black could have retired to his home near San Diego to devote his time and energy to his five grandchildren.
After all, Black has accomplished plenty during his 45 years in professional baseball. He has two World Series rings, one as a pitcher with Kansas City in 1985 and one with the Angels as their pitching coach in 2002. He’s managed 2,556 big-league games, 1,362 with the Padres and 1,194 with the Rockies. He was named National League Manager of the Year in 2010 with the Padres.
Yet, at age 67, he’s itching for at least one more season guiding the Rockies. Yes, those Rockies, who’ve lost 204 games over the past two seasons on Black’s watch.
All of which begs the question: Why return to manage a team that many baseball pundits and frustrated fans forecast as an NL West cellar dweller again in 2025?
“I’m invested in this team and this organization and I want to be part of the solution to see this through,” the ever-positive Black said last week during a phone interview. “More than anything, I think we are heading in the right direction, as far as our talent is concerned.”
Black loves talking baseball but hates talking about himself. Still, he’d like fans to understand why he’s returning for his ninth season in Colorado.
In 2017-18, he led the Rockies to the playoffs in back-to-back seasons for the first time in franchise history. But since then, the Rockies have endured six consecutive losing seasons. He wants to turn that around ASAP.
“When I first got there, I just cared about ’17, that one season, and then take it from there,” he said. “Now that I have been here this long, I want to see us cycle back to where I think we can get to. I think that talent base is there.
“I think we are moving into a good spot, and a lot of it has to do with the pitching, I think that’s a big part of it. The talent of the pitching within our system is as good as it’s ever been. That’s the biggest thing that’s exciting to me.”
In 2024, Colorado starters combined for a 5.47 ERA and a 1.52 WHIP, both the worst in the majors. But Black is confident that a veteran rotation, possibly spiced with some help from the organization’s top prospects, will turn things around in ’25.
“When I came here in ’17, we had a veteran-laden bullpen and then went out and got proven closers like Greg Holland and Wade Davis,” Black said. “But our rotation was young when I got here. Jon Gray was in his second year and German Marquez, Kyle Freeland and Antonio Senzatela were all rookies.
“Now it’s the inverse. Our bullpen is young and we have guys with a lot of service time as starters. We have Marquez, Freeland, ‘Senza’ all back, in addition to Austin Gomber, Cal (Quantrill) and Ryan Feltner. If all goes well, and they make their starts, we could have a solid rotation.”
The Rockies also have righty prospect Chase Dollander, and lefties Sean Sullivan and Carson Palmquist, knocking on the big-league door.
“It’s not inconceivable one of those kids could break camp with us,” Black said. “Our depth is evident. We have college pitchers from good programs who are a little further along in some areas than in the past and are getting a look because of their talent, their stuff, and their skill set. That’s what’s encouraging.”
Black is also jazzed about the ’25 bullpen.
“We have a lot of young talent and it showed up late (in the season) for us,” Black said. “Now, I know, that the sample size is very small, but I’m optimistic. Plus, we have some starters who could maybe end up in the bullpen.”
Colorado relievers posted a 5.41 ERA and a 1.55 WHIP, both the worst in the majors. The 80 homers relievers served up were tied with Cincinnati for the most in the National League.
But with the bullpen youth movement in full swing for the season’s final six weeks, there were encouraging signs. Six rookie relievers — right-handers Angel Chivilli, Jeff Criswell, Seth Halvorsen, Jaden Hill and Victor Vodnik, and lefty Luis Peralta — combined for a 3.84 ERA, with 12 saves and 8.59 strikeouts-per-nine-innings over a combined 143 appearances.
Vodnik’s nine saves were second-most among rookie pitchers and second-most by a Rockies rookie reliever in franchise history (Carlos Estevez had 11 in 2016).
“It bodes well for the future,” Black said. “All these guys that have come up are doing a nice job keeping the ball down, for the most part. They’ve avoided walks, they’re changing speeds and using their secondary pitches. Plus, they have velocity. So it’s promising.”
The offense, which posted the worst batting average (.242) and struck out the most times (1,617) in franchise history, remains a Rubik’s Cube. Despite that, the club retained hitting coach Hensley “Bam Bam” Meulens. Black and general manager Bill Schmidt still believe Meulens is a good coach.
Still, Black’s frustration with the inept offense was apparent during the season. He said it’s incumbent upon the individual players to make changes, become more productive and strike out less. Colorado’s 26.8 strikeout rate was tied with Seattle for the highest in the majors.
“What has to happen is that each player has to incrementally improve,” Black said. “There is an old saying that I use often: ‘The individual commitment to the team effort is what has to be paramount.’
“So, if every player improves on his strikeout rate, we’ll be a better team, offensively. If a guy’s strikeout rate is 32%, can he get to 28-29%? If a guy is at 25% can he get it 21%? If every player commits, then you have a pretty big change. That’s the mental side of it. Then we can go about making physical changes with their approach.”
Center fielder Brenton Doyle is Colorado’s shining example of a player who vowed to make changes and then did it. As a rookie in 2023, Doyle hit .203, had a .260 on-base percentage and struck out 35% of the time.
Black doesn’t expect, or need, every player to revamp their swing during the offseason as Doyle did, but he wants a lot of young players such as shortstop Ezequiel Tovar (28.8% strikeout rate) and Michael Toglia (32.1%), as well as veteran Ryan McMahon (28.7%), to alter their approaches and cut down on the Ks.
“For us, a lot of it goes back to the commitment of putting the ball in play with two outs, we have to do better that,” Black said.
Toglia is a player Black believes is heading in the right direction. In 152 plate appearances in 2023, the first baseman struck out 32.9% of the time. He barely trimmed that to 32.1% in 2024, but he nearly doubled his walk rate (6.6% to 11.8%) from 2023 to ’24.
“Michael’s driven to improve the traditional number — batting average and on-base,” Black said. “He’s committed to making improvements there. And that goes back to cutting down the strikeouts. If he does that, he’s going to have success, because when he hits the ball, he hits the ball hard.”
That’s evident by the 25 homers Toglia launched this past season.
A year ago, the Rockies were coming off a franchise-worst 103 losses. This fall, they’re coming off 101 losses. A two-game improvement is a drop in the bucket, but Black sees a big difference between the two clubs.
“I think the team is in a much better spot than it was a year ago,” he said. “I know that our pitching will be better next year. Pitching is so important for yearly success and sustained success. To win, you have to pitch, especially at our ballpark. And we’re going to be better.”
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Denver, Colo. (03/27/2026) – In front of another expected record-breaking crowd, the Washington Spirit is set to take on Denver Summit FC in the side’s inaugural home match at Empower Field at Mile High. With over 60,000 tickets already distributed, the match is poised to break the NWSL attendance record of 40,091 set last summer when the Spirit visited Bay FC at San Francisco’s Oracle Park. Kicking off at 2 p.m. EDT, the match will broadcast nationally on CBS.
The Spirit
Washington comes into this weekend’s fixture off a difficult 1-1 home draw with Utah Royals FC earlier this week. After scoring in the 18th minute, the Spirit nearly earned its first victory of 2026 but conceded an equalizer late and had to settle for a single point on the table. Washington’s goal was scored by midfielder Rebeca Bernal, the Mexican star’s first since transferring to the NWSL last year.
Saturday afternoon’s match will mark the first-ever meeting between the Spirit, one of the NWSL’s original clubs, and 2026 expansion side Denver Summit FC. Denver will be the 17th different opponent for Washington across its regular season history: the Spirit has played against 13 active clubs (all except expansion sides Denver and Boston) as well as defunct clubs the Boston Breakers, FC Kansas City and the Western New York Flash.
The Spirit has had success against expansion sides as of late, tallying 11 wins in 15 matches against NWSL clubs in their first season of competition since the start of the 2021 campaign. In 2024, the Spirit went a perfect 5-0-0 against Bay FC and Utah Royals FC, outscoring the teams 10-3 with a playoff win to boot. In 2022, Washington earned a 1-3-0 record against Angel City FC and San Diego Wave FC and, in 2021, the eventual NWSL champions went an impressive 5-1-0 against Kansas City and Racing Louisville FC.
This weekend’s matchup at Empower Field at Mile High, home of the NFL’s Denver Broncos, is set to shatter the NWSL’s single match attendance record with over 60,000 tickets already distributed. The Spirit has also been the visiting team for two of the league’s previous three record-setting attendances: 34,130 fans at Seattle’s Lumen Field when the Spirit took on the Reign and 40,091 in the stands at San Francisco’s historic Oracle Park to watch Washington play Bay FC.
Washington is in good standing in several attacking categories through three matches despite two draws and a loss. The Spirit remains first in the league in rate of possession at nearly 62% and top three in both shots and shots on target with 49 and 17, respectively. With just three goals through three matches, look for the Spirit attack to continue getting attempts on frame this weekend.
Following Saturday’s match, the Spirit will hit the road again next weekend for an away match against Bay FC in San Jose on Sunday, April 5. Washington’s next home match will be on Friday, April 24 at 8 p.m. EDT when the side hosts the defending Shield winner Kansas City Current at Audi Field. Information on tickets can be found HERE.
The Opponent
Denver Summit FC opened its inaugural season with three straight away matches, collecting a win, a loss and a draw to carry four points into its home opener this weekend. Summit FC dropped its first match to Bay FC 1-2 before drawing Orlando 1-1 and beating Gotham 2-0.
Summit FC is led in scoring by star German forward Melissa Kössler who has three goals in three matches, scoring once in each contest. With a goal tomorrow, the forward would join Alex Morgan as just the second player in league history to score in each of her first four matches with a club. Look for the Spirit defending third to place an emphasis on limiting chances to Kössler on Saturday afternoon.
Denver has only allowed one goal across its last 240 minutes of action after giving up two in the first 30 minutes of the side’s opener. The strong recent form of Summit FC’s defending third against the Spirit attacking third’s ability to generate chance after chance will be a point to watch this weekend.
Three former Spirit players are currently on the Summit FC roster as midfielders Meg Boade and Jordan Baggett and defender Camryn Biegalski signed with the side ahead of this season. Baggett spent four years with the Spirit after being drafted by the side in 2019 while Biegalski signed with Washington in 2021 and played three seasons, both winning the 2021 NWSL Championship with the team. Boade spent the first half of the 2025 season in DC as a short-term injury replacement, even scoring a goal for the Spirit.
Following tomorrow’s match, Denver will travel to Seattle to face Reign FC on Saturday, April 4.
All-Time Series History
This weekend’s match will be the first-ever meeting between the Spirit and Denver Summit FC.
About The Washington Spirit
The Washington Spirit is the premier professional women’s soccer team based in Washington, D.C. and plays at Audi Field in Buzzard Point. The Spirit was founded on November 21, 2012 and is an inaugural member of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) the fastest growing sports league in the US. The club is home to some of the best players in the world who have won championships for both club and country. For more information about the Spirit, visit WashingtonSpirit.com and follow the club on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
The Utah Jazz and Denver Nuggets are tipping off their second-to-last meeting of the 2025-26 season on Friday in the Mile High, where for the Jazz in particular, they’ll be dealing with several injuries headed into the matchup that’ll make them shorthanded once again.
Here’s what to expect on the injury front for both the Jazz and Nuggets on Friday night:
Utah Jazz Injury Report
OUT – Isaiah Collier (hamstring)
OUT – Keyonte George (hamstring)
OUT – Jaren Jackson Jr. (knee)
OUT – Walker Kessler (shoulder)
OUT – Lauri Markkanen (hip)
OUT – Jusuf Nurkic (nose)
PROBABLE – Kyle Filipowski (illness)
OUT – Blake Hinson (two-way)
It’s a lot of the same for the Jazz when looking back at some of their recent injury reports, but there’s also some good news to note as well.
Second-year big man Kyle Filipowski, specifically, is trending up to play in Denver after dealing with an illness against the Washington Wizards; an issue that kept him sidelined for one game and left the Jazz’s frontcourt notably shorthanded for what would be a double-digit loss.
During his post-All-Star stretch, Filipowski has been averaging 13.2 points, 8.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists, along with 1.2 steals and 0.9 blocks through 11 games.
He’s slotted in primarily as the Jazz’s starting center since both Walker Kessler and Jusuf Nurkic have been out with season-ending injuries, and has shown some nice flashes throughout.
However, outside of getting Filipowski back in the mix, the Jazz will still be without second-year guard Isaiah Collier, who continues to deal with hamstring soreness, and will also continue to be down Keyonte George and Lauri Markkanen with their extended absences.
It remains to be seen if any of the latter two will be able to return at some point this season, but now with less than 10 games to go on the calendar before the offseason officially hits, the chances of either Markkanen or George coming back keep getting slimmer and slimmer.
For the extent either remains out, expect to see a good chunk of Ace Bailey being the primary scoring option as he has through his recent slate of games, along with an expanded role for their two-way and 10-day players down the bench who have gotten more minutes in recent weeks.
Denver Nuggets Injury Report
OUT – David Roddy (two-way)
OUT – KJ Simpson (two-way)
As for the Nuggets, their injury slate remains clean. The only names out will be a pair of their two way signings in David Roddy and KJ Simpsons, while the rest of their roster is slated to be active.
It’s a major change from what the Nuggets have been used to all season when factoring in their several injuries to key players lasting multiple weeks.
Nikola Jokic, Cameron Johnson, Christian Braun, Aaron Gordon, and Peyton Watson have all missed significant time at one point or another this season, but against Utah, they’ll have all systems go as they roll into the game on a three-game win streak.
Tip-off between the Jazz and Nuggets lands at 7 p.m. MT in Ball Arena.
Little India will close its West Highland location in the coming months, owner Simeran Baidwan told BusinessDen.
It marks the end of a five-year run at the corner of 32nd Avenue and Lowell Street for the local Indian chain.
“We opened to preserve jobs because we didn’t have enough revenue,” he said of the pandemic days when restaurants were struggling.
The 3496 W. 32nd Ave. store helped keep dozens of chefs and servers in Baidwan’s “Little India family,” he said. Those workers will now have the opportunity to work at his other restaurants.
“Five years later, the question isn’t whether people love the food,” he continued. “It’s whether independent restaurants can survive the compounding pressures and expenses, especially in Denver.”
Baidwan, who opened the first and still-running Little India at Sixth and Grant alongside his parents in 1998, singled out rising minimum wage, insurance, delivery fees and credit card processing fees as factors contributing to the closure.
“I think what it is, is a Denver restaurant industry story, it’s not just our one restaurant story,” he said. “I think what’s happened, in this day and time, is that life has become really expensive. There’s no margins. The math just doesn’t work.”
Being in the Highlands was also a factor, Baidwan said. The desirable location comes with high rent as well as skyrocketing property taxes he’s been responsible for. Add in dwindling consumer spending and Baidwan said his hand was forced.
“Busy doesn’t always mean profitable,” he said. “A lot of people look through the window and assume the restaurant is good, and we have the several locations too. But it just isn’t like that anymore.”
Baidwan said there’s no plan to close his three other locations, in Cap Hill, Central Park and off Downing Street near the University of Denver. But that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been making tweaks.
At the original store off Sixth, he started operating 24/7 about eight months ago, something he’s thinking about for his other neighborhood restaurants. He’s also added entertainment, like jazz music and dancing, to help get more customers through the door.
Baidwan himself has also returned to the floor as a server — the first job he had at his parent’s store. But having the owner-operator model is difficult for his sprawling Little India empire since he can only be in so many places at once.
“The closure is about sustainability, to sustain what we have. It’s not surrender,” he said “It’s not that we’ve lost the passion of what we do so well. I mean, who does a vindaloo better than Little India?
“We’re really proud of what we built there, and this isn’t about failure,” he continued. “It’s about the reality that the economics of independent restaurants has changed dramatically.”
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