DENVER -- There’s no way of knowing if the Rockies' 14-3 loss to the Pirates on Monday night at Coors Field would have gone differently had third baseman Elehuris Montero not let Rodolfo Castro’s grounder skim under his glove for a second-inning error instead of a much-needed double play.

Rockies pitcher Kyle Freeland, who entered with a 0.96 ERA, needed Montero’s help. Freeland entered the second inning with the team down, 1-0, on Andrew McCutchen’s classic Coors Field home run -- a routine fly ball that wouldn’t come down. Freeland put himself in trouble by walking Connor Joe to start the second, but part of his success before Monday was the ability to coax double-play grounders.

It would be foolish to lay the Rockies’ sixth straight loss on Montero. Freeland gave up eight hits and nine runs (seven earned) in 2 2/3 innings and noted that “my stuff wasn’t there and I wasn’t hitting spots.” He compounded the six-run frame by going to the plate late instead of to first on Ji Hwan Bae’s safety squeeze bunt.

The night continued strangely. Kris Bryant, in his second season of a seven-year contract, hit his first Coors Field homer in a Rockies uniform, and infielder Alan Trejo pitched the top of the ninth.

But Montero, who committed a throwing error later after bobbling a grounder, raised more questions about his fielding.

An 0-for-3 performance with two strikeouts and a walk moved Montero’s batting average to .289 and his on-base percentage to .333 with a home run. The performance represents a step forward after his 53-game trial as a rookie in 2022.

But the Rockies knew when they acquired Montero from the Cardinals, he would not be anywhere near the defender who went the other way: 10-time Gold Glove winner Nolan Arenado. But to have Montero’s bat, the team would be willing to develop the glove. The ability to control Montero’s defensive exposure went away when Brendan Rodgers underwent left shoulder surgery (which likely will cost him the season) during Spring Training.

It’s been as painful as expected. Montero has committed three errors in 11 games, with some other less-than-sound plays. The struggles come despite weeks of early-morning work this spring and continued pregame drills individually with third-base coach Warren Schaeffer.

Montero receives the spotlight because defense has been a question his entire pro career. But defense is a problem in the big picture, too. The Rockies have committed 14 errors this season -- their 12 going into Monday tied them for the MLB lead -- after finishing fourth in the Majors with 100 errors last season as part of a last-place finish in the National League West.

“We’ve got to play defense,” Rockies manager Bud Black said. “And we talked about it early. We’ve got to hit better, we’ve got to pitch better and we’ve got to play defense [better] than we did last year. So far, in 17 games, our defense hasn't been as crisp as we anticipated -- the coaches and the players. We’re talking about it. We’re addressing it.”

The Rockies’ 5-12 record is in line with preseason forecasts. It’s the type of start that has fans, and the team itself, keeping an eye on when prospects will arrive. But a team in this predicament also has to weather some development at the Major League level.

Much of the starting rotation is going through a painstaking molding process. And as much as Montero is having his growing pains at third, the guy beside him is seeing offensive challenges. Rookie shortstop Ezequiel Tovar, whom the Rockies believe will be a star, is batting .192 after his 1-for-4 performance Tuesday.

The balance becomes difficult when games slip away in the name of development. Building a better team for the future can make rough times palatable, but game-altering struggles in the Majors can be counterproductive.

“We’ve talked about young players given opportunities,” Black said. “Every player wants that opportunity to play. You know, ‘Give me a chance.’ And here's an opportunity for a couple of young fellas to establish himself as potential Major League players.

“And every day is a test. And tests aren't answered in one day or weeks or months. They all add up when you take the test every day.”