With MVP candidate Matt Holliday in a zone that would turn Mickey Mantle green with envy, the Rockies completed a four-game sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers with a 9-4 victory Thursday afternoon at Coors Field.
Now comes the hard part of their nearly impossible playoff quest: a three-game series against the streaking Padres beginning tonight in San Diego.
“We probably have to sweep them to have much of a chance,” Holliday said.
National League rookie-of-the-year candidate Troy Tulowitzki agreed.
“San Diego’s going to be tough to catch, but we know what we have to do,” the shortstop said. “The key is not making too much of it and just going out and playing and having fun like we have been.”
The Rockies are hot, having won five straight and sweeping the Dodgers in a four-game series for just the second time in history.
But the Padres are hotter. They beat the Pirates 6-3 on Thursday for their seventh consecutive victory to move within a half-game of Arizona in the National League West. The Padres remain 4 1/2 games ahead of Colorado in the wild-card standings. To make the postseason for the first time since 1995, the Rockies must hurdle not only the Padres, but also the Philadelphia Phillies.
When asked about the Padres’ streak, manager Clint Hurdle joked, “That means they’re due to lose.”
The Rockies are 7-8 against the Padres this season, but just 2-4 at Petco Park. Tonight they face Jake Peavy, the 18-game winner and a leading candidate for the NL Cy Young Award.
“He’s got unbelievable stuff, but he’s a human being, so he can be hit,” Holliday said.
Of course, given the zone Holliday is in, he would go 3-for-4 with two homers against Cy Young himself. With the crowd chanting “MVP! MVP!” Holliday banged his 36th homer in a six-run second inning. The 438-foot shot to left-center was Holliday’s 11th homer in the past 12 games, and 11th homer in his past 40 at-bats. He finished the Rockies’ six-game homestand with a .464 average, six homers, two doubles and 12 RBIs.
“It’s kind of funny, because I’ve never really been in a zone like this; hitting this many home runs,” he said. “The ball doesn’t seem as fast right now.”
While Holliday was pleased to hear the fans’ MVP chants, he once again eschewed promoting himself.
“It’s not for me to decide or have an opinion,” he said. “But it’s nice to hear the fans and I appreciate it. It’s very humbling.”
Holliday wasn’t the only one sticking the final knife in the Dodgers’ season. Rookie starter Ubaldo Jimenez baffled the Dodgers for 6 1/3 innings, getting the hook only after giving up a two-run homer to Andre Ethier in the Dodgers’ four-run seventh. Second baseman Kazuo Matsui, starting his first game since injuring his hamstring on Sept. 8, went 3-for-3 and scored a run. Tulowitzki hit his 22nd homer and drove in three runs. The only shortstop to ever hit more homers in his rookie season is the Dodgers’ Nomar Garciaparra, who hit 30 for the Red Sox in 1997.
The Dodgers, who arrived in Colorado in third place in the wild-card race, just three games out, lost their fifth straight and are out of playoff contention.
Staff writer Patrick Saunders can be reached at 303-954-1428 or psaunders@denverpost.com.
