The Rockies have reached their high-water mark, having won 14 of their last 20 games.
And while their 11-10 victory over the Padres at Coors Field on Sunday won’t garner many style points, it once again showcased on offense capable of rebounding, pressing the action and doing the little things well.
Case in point: Tyler Colvin. The outfielder hit a two-run bomb in the third, his 17th homer of the season. The left-hander shifted gears in the pivotal seventh inning, putting down a perfect sacrifice bunt against Padres lefty reliever Tommy Lane. That helped set the stage for Chris Nelson’s three-run homer.
“We have all been taught to do those little things, like putting down a bunt. It’s part of our job,” Colvin said. “But it’s good to see us executing like we have been. It makes a big difference.”
The Rockies, paced by a band of rookies, led the majors in August with a team batting average of .294. They scored at least eight runs in five of six games on their just-completed 4-2 homestand.
“I have always had this vision that we play this game with a reckless sense of abandonment, and we are doing that right now,” general manager Dan O’Dowd said last week. “That’s the way we have to play the games overall, not just at home.”
Now comes the real test.
The Rockies open a four-game set Monday at Atlanta against a Braves team in the thick of the playoff hunt. The Braves, who lead the National League wild-card race, will throw three very good pitchers. Monday, the Rockies face right-hander Kris Medlen (6-1, 1.71 ERA), Tuesday they get Tommy Hanson (12-7, 4.45) and Thursday they get Tim Hudson (13-5, 3.76).
“We’re definitely more confident going out there,” Nelson said. “Early in the season we struggled on the road pretty good. But this last month was really good for us, we’ve swung the bat really well. The thing is, everybody is doing their job.”
The Rockies’ .242 road average is still no great shakes, ranking only 13th in the National League. But by mixing decent starting pitching with well-executed offense, the Rockies have won eight of their last 13 road games. Bunts, hit-and-run plays and aggressive baserunning have been key. In fact, the home run has not been their primary weapon. Colorado hit 24 homers in August, tied with the Dodgers for 11th in the National League.
“I love to manage this. I love this style,” manager Jim Tracy said. “It’s indicative of a club that has a sense of awareness about it and that’s playing heads-up baseball. You can just tell by the way they are going about it that these kids really enjoy it. They have executed tremendously well.”
Especially rookie shortstop Josh Rutledge, who has hit .344 in his first 43 big-league games.
“When Josh came up and I started putting him in the No. 2 hole, I wanted to find out some things,” Tracy said. “I wanted to know, ‘Can this kid get a bunt down? Can he handle the hit-and-run? Can he handle the run-and-hit? Is he going to use the right side of the field with a man on first base?’ He’s answered all of those questions for me.”
Now the Rockies take their reworked road show to Atlanta, where it will be put to the test.
Patrick Saunders: 303-954-1428, psaunders@denverpost.com or
