Even on an off day, the question haunted Mickey Moniak.

On a quiet Thursday between the Orioles and Cardinals series at Coors Field, Moniak dug into the Colorado record books. He wanted to see just how close this Rockies team was this season to having a record much different from the 55-87 mark the team holds after beating St. Louis 10-7 on Saturday.

So how many games have the Rockies lost by two runs or less this season? Moniak said the number caught him off guard, with Colorado being 17-22 in one-run games and 11-20 in two-run games, including Friday night’s 7-6 ninth-inning loss to St. Louis. That’s 42 losses in all that could be considered “close games” inside the Rockies clubhouse.

“You look at those, and it’s one you know base hit here, one out here, maybe a defensive play here or not making an error there,” Moniak said. “It’s just baseball, and I think that if you look back to last year, we lost 119 games and I’d be very curious to see how many of those were by two or fewer runs.”

Last season in the middle of a 119-loss trudge, Colorado was 18-23 in one-run games and 11-21 in two-run games. Again, the number is 44 games with close losses.

So what’s the translation? The offensive numbers are showing Colorado is better this season, but the records are showing the team still hasn’t solved the magic formula to winning when the opportunity presents itself at 20^th and Blake.

It’s a point of frustration in a season where the Rockies have often figured out how to rally late (leading all MLB teams in runs scored in the eighth inning or later with 169) but haven’t been able to close the deal.

“We feel it in here. We’re in every single baseball game, and that’s the frustrating thing. We know that we could be winning these games and this season could look a lot different from it does,” Moniak said. “We also know that this is a process and it started last year when Schaeff (Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer) took over, hammering home that if we’re taking these last couple of months for granted, even though we were the worst team in baseball and fighting to not be considered the worst team in the history of baseball, then we’re doing ourselves a disservice. We’re doing this organization a disservice, as well as the city and the fans. That same mindset applies to right now.”

After some losses this season, the frustration in the clubhouse and podium when and after Schaeffer speaks postgame has been palpable. Schaeffer said that he doesn’t like to show frustration publicly. However, some losses are harder to swallow than others, including Monday night’s 2-1 defeat to Baltimore when center fielder Colton Cowser reached over the fence to rob Jake McCarthy of a game-winning home run, ending the game and Colorado’s chances at a victory.

That was one of 42 close losses this season, and one that was also arguably among the most painful of the season.

And it’s painful for Schaeffer because he is fully invested in his players getting rewarded for the work they put into their craft every day.

“It always comes down to process,” Schaeffer said. “When you’re in the fight, like we are every night, like I am every night, like these boys are every night and you see the effort …”

Schaeffer then focused on the Rockies who were doing infield drills as he opened up about the close losses.

“All of the work that is put into it, and when you’re in the grind and you see it doesn’t pay off for the boys with a win, because that’s the ultimate payoff, that’s what’s most frustrating for me,” Schaeffer said. “When you’re getting close, you’re getting closer, you’re getting closer, but you’re still losing, that is when you take the 1,000-foot view and you back up, you look at last year compared to this year and you look at where we’re going.”

This year’s Rockies team must sometimes force itself to take a step back and look in the mirror at the reflection of last season. Last year’s team finished the campaign ranking 23rd among MLB’s 30 teams in batting average, 30th in on-base percentage, 24th in slugging percentage and 27th in OPS. In 2026, before the Rockies opened their weekend series against St. Louis, Colorado was fourth in batting average, eighth in on-base percentage, fourth in slugging percentage and fifth in OPS.

“You can see all the progress. You’re in those games, and there’s an enormous chasm between last year and this year in terms of the offense,” Scaheffer said. “I think you always want more, and you always want to win. That’s what we’re here to do, and that’s what these guys are here to do every day and they expect to win.”

Expectations may not be meeting reality in terms of the record right now, but there have been positive steps made. Those steps will eventually pave the way back to the postseason, Moniak said.

“We have one month left, and the same thing rings true as last year. We’re going to treat this month like we’re in the playoff run,” Moniak said. “We’re going into it with the mindset that every game matters and every game we’re fighting for October. That way, when we do get there and I believe that we will, the mentality won’t be a new thing.”