MIAMI — How swiftly the transformation has been from extinct to exceptional in 10 weeks. It’s the kind of results promised by a late-night infomercial, not an interim manager.
Under Jim Tracy, the Rockies are a legitimate playoff threat. Now comes the hard part: making it.
Rather than create separation over the weekend, the Rockies squeezed the standings, splitting a doubleheader Sunday with a 10-3 loss and 7-3 victory against the Marlins at Land Shark Stadium.
“We weren’t losing that second game. We had to have it,” outfielder Ryan Spilborghs said. “And we found a way.”
The National League wild-card race, rather ordinary a few days ago, is a delightful jumble. The Rockies are stiff-arming away the Giants (1 1/2 games behind), Marlins (2) and Braves and Cubs (3 1/2).
Sunday brought mixed success and a dash of solace. The Giants lost to the Mets, and the Rockies avoided their first sweep under Tracy. They were out-everythinged this series — their lineup was outhit .374 to .189, their starters were outpitched (4.00 ERA to 7.50) — but escaped with minimal damage.
If Sunday was any indication what lies ahead the next six weeks, keep the antacids handy.
“Every game is important,” said Jorge De La Rosa, easing the burden on the Rockies’ bullpen after Aaron Cook lasted just seven outs in the opener. “It was huge to get one.”
To sneak out of Florida in front of the pack, Tracy pulled every lever and switch available in Game 2. “Yep, every one. Had to,” he said.
Tracy used all five outfielders and both third basemen, and asked two relievers to do something they had never done in a Rockies uniform.
Setup man Rafael Betancourt and closer Huston Street both worked more than three outs. Betancourt came up clutch and received a lucky break when Marlins backup catcher Ronny Paulino popped up a hanging breaking ball with the bases loaded to end the seventh inning.
“I was brought here to help the Rockies win and get to the playoffs,” Betancourt said. “I was prepared in my mind to work longer. This was a total team win.”
Street took the baton with two outs in the eighth, creating a gasp from the sparse but lively crowd. Jorge Cantu lifted a slider to left field that appeared briefly like it might leave the yard. Tracy jumped out of his seat in the dugout, thinking it was going to drop cruelly into the left-field corner. Instead, it died a slow and painful death into Spilborghs’ glove.
“That gave me a lot of room to breathe,” Street said. “The fans made me nervous because you hear that roar growing.”
The bullpen preserved the victory for De La Rosa. As Rockies PR man Charlie Hepp said, “Just call him Jorge W.” It was De La Rosa’s 11th victory since June 1, tops in the majors.
He loosely gripped a 6-1 lead, surviving on his slider. Two of his biggest outs came at the expense of superstar Hanley Ramirez. De La Rosa tagged him out at home trying to advance on a dirt ball in the third and fanned him on a controversial check swing in the fifth.
“You don’t expect that,” De La Rosa said. “He’s one of the best players in the game.”
Good teams are often defined as much by their muggings as their ugly wins. The Rockies were outplayed over the weekend, yet stayed atop the wild-card perch. Which, of course, means nothing come Tuesday at Washington.
“We absolutely have to take care of business against the Nationals,” Street said. “There’s no way around it, not with a 10-game stretch after that against the Giants and Dodgers that’s going to set the stage for the entire division race.”
Troy E. Renck: 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com
Looking ahead
Today: Off
Tuesday: Rockies’ Ubaldo Jimenez (10-9, 3.47 ERA) vs. Nationals’ Craig Stammen (3-6, 5.24), 5:05 p.m., FSN
Wednesday: Rockies’ Jason Marquis (13-8, 3.55) vs. Nationals’ Collin Balester (1-2, 6.00), 5:05 p.m., FSN
Thursday: Rockies’ Jason Hammel (7-7, 4.73) vs. Nationals’ Garrett Mock (2-4, 5.27), 5:05 p.m., FSN
Friday: Giants’ Jonathan Sanchez (5-10, 4.49) vs. Rockies’ Aaron Cook (10-5, 4.31), 7:10 p.m., FSN
Saturday: Giants’ Joe Martinez (2-1, 6.00) vs. Rockies’ Jorge De La Rosa (11-8, 4.58), 6:10 p.m., FSN
