It seems like every loss this season, the Colorado Rockies is a new futile level headline: They have set a modern mark for the fewest wins (eight) in the first 50 games of the season and lost 22 straight series 22 consecutive times before storming the Miami Marlins this week.

But, along with most teams that are notorious toward baseball, Colorado’s roster is not made up of rookies and travelers. Instead, it consists of some of the key players in the franchise era.

They remember good times. Players flew around the base as Coors Field was packed with games, and the Rockies pitched enough to get them into the playoffs.

It seems like a Forever Colorado Barrel, losing its third straight season, but current pitchers German Max, Antonio Sezatra, Kyle Freelander and infielder Ryan McMahon are all part of the organization's last playoff team, in 2017 and 2018. Colorado won a total of 178 games in the two seasons.

Few can imagine what will happen in seven years: The Rockies are working to break the modern record of losses, set by the Chicago White Sox last year. Their pace lost 130 games, nine more than Chicago.

"You asked me in 2017 or 2018 and I would say there was no chance to happen," Friedland told ESPN recently. "You realize how special those seasons are."

Despite the record, the atmosphere of their clubhouse is no different from any other team in the ordeal of the 162-game season. According to Rocky Mountain players, there are too many baseballs left to succumb to all the negative emotions of failure. They also noted that their competitiveness has improved since management was conducted early last month.

"If we're honest about it, it's tough early this year," said injured reliefist Austin Gomber. "Our competition isn't very competitive. Because (Interim Manager Warren Schaeffer) took over we hardly did that in every game. However, it didn't take action. It's easier to keep a positive attitude. I know we're competing every night. At the beginning of this year, that's not the case."

"You can't mail or close the store right away. We have a lot of people studying teams, a lot of young people learning. Our veterans have to keep the team's attitude in the right place."

The Rockies’ struggle boils down to this: They give up the most runs per game while scoring the lowest points. The latter is amazing considering the enormous advantage they have enjoyed in the major league games at the highest altitudes in Denver over the years. Entering this season, the team ranked the lowest since Coors Field opened 30 years ago at 22^NDachieved success last season.

The lack of production on both sides of the ball led to blowouts (they lost at least 16 games) and heartbreaking losses (only 6-11 in a single game). “Some people stick with it,” McMahon said. "We care about people, when you care, you carry them for a longer time. But if you stick to it until the night before, it won't help, it's going to be a long season. You have to rinse it."

"You have to flush it" could be a slogan for the team as the organization is trying to turn the page into a horrible start, noting Some Improvements since Schaeffer, 40, took over Bud Black, 67. After Black's helm in Colorado for eight years and about six weeks, the Rockies decided that changes needed.

"Friend Black is a really good baseball guy," said General Manager Bill Schmidt. "It might be time to make a different voice."

Schmidt was asked what gave him hope during such a bleak franchise period.

"We are more competitive lately," he said. "We are going to turn things around. I'm embarrassed by what happened."

After adding numbers to the Marlins scan, the team can point out that the difference per game is 2.41, while the 3.2 under black has dropped by 3.2, despite their similar winning percentages (175 under black and .227 under black since the change).

Black rejected the interview request for the story.

Like last year’s White Sox, the Rockies aren’t focused on the record of loss because they think it will be a self-fulfilling prophecy.

“If it weren’t for the worst team in baseball that was our main focus, we would be the worst team in baseball,” Freeland said. “Our focus is ‘make us better every day.’ That’s the lens.

Schaeffer is a professional secondary league player who is studying at work but brings new energy to Dugout. He said he wanted what every other manager wanted from the player: accountability and the ability to master fundamentals. Has he seen improvement?

"I do," he said. "Of course. I feel the competitive nature is there. We hardly learn how to play and win. Not yet. We have to perform late execution in the game. This is the next step."

The past few weeks illustrate the distance of the Rockies and the way long distances are respected. Unable to execute (especially later in the game), resulting in eight losses of two or less in 12 games. It's something that keeps them at record pace. That is, along with the blowout, it still happens once a week.

"We have 100 games left," Gunber said. "We only need two weeks to throw this record. I'm confident we'll turn it around from that perspective because just looking, I see that we're more competitive every night. It'll turn."

In such a failed environment, the people who learn from the young players of the team are somewhat worried. They pointed out those veterans, especially players in Colorado in better times – and that’s why the team is united.

"We see it every day as a new day," said Tyler Freeman, 26, a treasure wardrobe. "It's hard to watch records now. But everyone is working hard. We come and win. The results have not shown yet, but we have to be patient.

"If we look at the beginning of this year, it's different. I think we've turned the corner."

In the toughest division in baseball, it only makes it even harder to lose 120 games this season. Colorado has only 3-13 against the National League, while the opponent still has 36 games.

Surprisingly, the Rockies still attract more than 26,000 fans per game, a testament to their loyalty and fan experience at Coors Stadium. But what will September’s shelves look like as the team gets into a potential record-breaking season? One thing that unifies the club is how much the team has disappointed these fans. The Rockies have gone a long way since their playoff appearance last decade later.

"A lot has happened since then," Sezatra said, shaking her head. "We have to be together. Hope we're back there."