National League West's struggling leaders give Rockies hope

Colorado still alive thanks to good play, others' woes

By Tracy Ringolsby, Rocky Mountain News

Published August 28, 2008 at 8:21 p.m.

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For all the frustrations that have grown out of the season, the Rockies arrive at Petco Park on Friday night to start a three-game series against San Diego still clinging to postseason hopes.

It's not all their doing.

They have benefited from the struggles of National League West-leading Arizona and second-place Los Angeles. But the Rockies aren't complaining.

The odds are against them. They are nine games below .500 (63-72), six games behind the Diamondbacks with 27 to play, and 2 1/2 behind the Dodgers.

But they aren't being dismissed, not even by the teams in front of them. After last year, the Rockies aren't going to sneak up on anybody down the stretch.

They were six games back in the NL West race and the wild card with 27 games remaining a year ago and wound up winning their first pennant.

"We are fortunate to still be in (the division race) because we have played so poorly, but the fact is we are still in it," right fielder Brad Hawpe said. "We have been in a tough spot before and we know we responded and did the job, so that gives us reason to be confident about what is ahead."

This could be a critical weekend for the Rockies. While they are playing the last-place Padres, the Dodgers and Diamondbacks meet in Phoenix.

The Rockies would seem to have their rotation lined up for a big weekend. Their top three starters will go against the Padres - Aaron Cook on Friday, Ubaldo Jimenez on Saturday and Jeff Francis on Sunday.

But then the Rockies have been in situations where they had a chance to make a major move several times and have fallen flat.

Earlier this month, fresh off a 6-4 trip, they had a 10-game homestand that started with seven games against the two worst teams in the NL, Washington and San Diego. They went 3-7.

"Obviously, that was not a good statement for a contender, but since I have been here, this team has been able to wash off tough losses and come back fresh the next day," first baseman Garrett Atkins said. "We understand it's a long season. We understand you have to forget bad games and show up focused on the next game."

So instead of fading into oblivion, the Rockies have won nine of 12, including seven of nine on the road.

"When you are (nine) games under .500 at the end of August and still have a chance to make the playoffs, you have to feel fortunate," left fielder Matt Holliday said. "It doesn't matter how to get in, though. What matters is you get there. When we went (3-7 at home), I definitely thought our odds were way down, but we have played well lately and the teams ahead of us have not played well."

That's pretty much what happened last year, too, the Rockies going from fourth place to claim the wild card thanks to a tiebreaker victory against San Diego. While the Rockies were winning 21 of their final 28 games - including the tiebreaker - the Padres went 14-14 and the Dodgers 12-15. Arizona, which finished one-half game ahead of the Rockies, went 14-11 in the final month.

This year?

The Rockies have won nine of 13, the Dodgers have lost nine of 13, including seven in a row, and the Diamondbacks are trying to shake a four-game losing streak.

"We are in one of the better places we have been all year," manager Clint Hurdle said. "We'll have to see where it takes us."

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