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In doing math, division is not out of equation for Rockies

Tracy Ringolsby, Rocky Mountain News

Published September 27, 2007 at midnight

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LOS ANGELES — The Rockies have been stuck in idle in the National League wild-card race the last two nights.

That's OK.

They remain focused on the NL West title anyway.

That's one thing they can control. The wild card will require some help.

Sure, they are closer to wild-card leader San Diego than they are to NL West division leader Arizona.

With a 2-0 victory against the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday night that extended their winning streak to 10 games — longest in club history and longest in the majors this year — the Rockies remained one game back of the Padres, who won in San Francisco, and tied in the wild-card battle with Philadelphia, which beat Atlanta.

But the Rockies moved two games behind the Diamondbacks, who lost in Pittsburgh.

Here's the catch. The Rockies don't play San Diego again, so they can't stop the Padres from winning their final four games.

They need help from Milwaukee, which starts a four-game series with the Padres tonight at Miller Park. And they don't play Philadelphia again, so they have to rely on Atlanta today or Washington during the weekend to knock off the Phillies.

But the Rockies have a say in what goes on with Arizona, which, after finishing a series in Pittsburgh this afternoon, will be at Coors Field for the final three games of the regular season starting Friday night.

"The goal we set in spring training was to win the division," Rockies manager Clint Hurdle said. "We never turned away from that. We put ourself in a corner, but I think we've overcome that."

Overcome?

With baseball's best record since the first day of each of the past four months, the Rockies go into the finale against the Dodgers tonight looking to complete what would be the first unbeaten multiple-city trip in franchise history, having swept three games in San Diego before arriving at Dodger Stadium for a three- game set.

They set a franchise record for wins Sunday with No. 84, climbed 14 games above .500 (86-72) for the first time in franchise history Wednesday and with one more win will ensure themselves the best winning percentage in franchise history.

They were 77-67 in strike-shortened 1995, a .535 winning percentage, when they claimed the NL wild card for the only postseason appearance in franchise history.

With Josh Fogg providing 6 2/3 impressive innings, getting out of a bases-loaded jam in the sixth by striking out Andre Ethier after he issued three two-out walks, and the Rockies coming up with a two-run second-inning against Derek Lowe in which Kazuo Matsui singled home one run and scored the other, the Rockies have been in charge of every game this trip.

They have trailed only once in 59 innings and that was briefly.

The Dodgers took a 5-4 lead in the bottom of the fifth Tuesday, but the Rockies came back with two runs to go up 6-5 in the top of the sixth of what became a 9-7 victory.

"I think they have made a statement," Hurdle said. "There's no feeling of urgency to win, but there is an urgency to go out and play well. That's all."

And they have, much to the chagrin of the Dodgers, the victim in six of the 10 wins in the streak put together by the Rockies, who, with the victory Wednesday, ensured themselves of finishing ahead of the Dodgers in the NL West for the first time in franchise history.

"I think it says something about what we are doing, that we get up early and maintain a lead," shortstop Troy Tulowitzki said. "When we have had a glitch, we come back right away."

Fogg and three relievers didn't allow any glitches to pop up Wednesday, when Fogg earned his 10th victory, the fifth time in six years he has won in double figures.

Other than the bases-loaded mess in the sixth, the only times the Dodgers had a runner in scoring position were when Delwyn Young tripled with two out in the first, but James Loney grounded out, and in the ninth, when Manny Corpas, with two out, gave up two singles on slow infield rollers before getting Juan Pierre on a game-ending groundout.

The Rockies got their runs in the third, when Yorvit Torrealba doubled with one out, then, with two out, Matsui, Tulowitzki and Matt Holliday singled, bringing home two runs.

"It was a very professional effort," Hurdle said.

It's the kind of effort that has become expected of the Rockies.