All season long, even when they were a season-high 21 games over .500 with a 47-26 record on June 20, the Rockies repeated a mantra: “We still think our best baseball is ahead of us.”
At various points, all-star third baseman said it, and so did right fielder , newcomer Ian Desmond, veteran first baseman Mark Reynolds and even manager Bud Black.
Now that September is here, it’s put-up or shut-up time.
Of late, the Rockies have not been playing their best baseball. Red-hot Arizona (76-58) comes to Friday night to open a three-game series full of playoff ramifications in a litmus test for the reeling Rockies (72-61). The Diamondbacks finished a three-game sweep of the on Thursday with an 8-1 victory, becoming the first team to sweep the Dodgers all season. Arizona, which has won seven in a row, leads Colorado by 3 ½ games for the National League’s top wild-card spot. The Rockies’ lead over Milwaukee for the second spot has dwindled to 2 ½ games.
The NL’s two wild-card teams will play a one-game playoff on Oct. 4 with the winner advancing to the National League division series to face the powerful Dodgers, in all likelihood.
“We’re going to play a good Arizona team that we could possibly play in the wild-card game,” Gonzalez said. “It’s important for us to bring our best game. You don’t want to be the No. 2 wild card. You want to host a game here.”
The Rockies have not brought “their best game” to the ballpark for weeks, at least not on a consistent basis. Their 12-15 record in August was their worst month of the season. Since reaching their high-water mark on June 20, the Rockies are 25-35, which is the worst record in the NL West during that span.
The Diamondbacks were struggling too, despite the presence of MVP candidate Paul Goldschmidt and his 33 home runs and .318 average, until this past week. Their bats finally woke up, especially against the Dodgers when they averaged seven runs per game.
“I just feel like hitting is contagious,” second baseman Brandon Drury told reporters Wednesday. “We’ve been putting together good at-bats. We’ve been scoring first a lot lately, which is huge, to get out to a lead and get some momentum going. I think thatap really big.
“Thatap the kind of offense we have, too. We’re dangerous. When we get that rolling, we can really roll with it.”
Colorado’s offense, meanwhile, is stuck in the weeds. Over their last 22 games, the Rockies scored three runs or fewer 15 times and went 4-11 in those games. . The inability to come up with big hits with runners in scoring position hangs over the Rockies’ dugout like an albatross.
“I think our overall play has been pretty solid lately, so I feel pretty good about where we are,” Black said. “Our defensive component is solid and our bullpen is coming together. And we’ve been getting men on base, but what we’ve been missing is that key hit at the key time.”
On Wednesday, Black provided a brief scouting reports on the D-backs, singling out Goldschmidt, left-hander Robbie Ray and right-hander Zack Greinke, who allowed one run over six innings vs. the Dodgers on Thursday.
“They have an excellent team with a number of all-star caliber players,” Black said. “They have two of the best players in the game, in Goldschmidt and Greinke. They are a well-rounded team. Their team pitching (second in the NL with a 3.66 ERA) has been outstanding.”
The Rockies last played September baseball with playoff implications in 2010. They were one game out of first place on Sept. 19, but lost 13 of their final 14 games to miss the postseason.
Black believes this year’s team will embrace the opportunity, and the pressure.
“It’s the feeling you want, and the guys are excited to be here,” Black said. “Every pitch becomes critical, especially as you get deeper into September. That’s when it’s fun.”
NL WEST TEST
The Diamondbacks and Rockies open a crucial three-game series Friday night at Coors Field with wild-card playoff implications at stake. A comparison of the two teams:
Record: Diamondbacks 76-58 … Rockies 72-61
Head-to-head: The clubs have split the first 12 games
Last 10 games: Diamonds 9-1 … Rockies 4-6
Starting pitching: Diamondbacks 3.58 ERA (3rd) …. Rockies 4.40 ERA (9th)
Relief pitching: Diamondbacks 3.84 ERA (3rd) …. Rockies 4.73 ERA (10th)
Team batting: Diamondbacks .253 average (9th), 176 HRs (7th), 4.90 runs per game (5th) … Rockies .273 avg (1st), 160 home runs (10th), 5.12 runs per game (2nd)
Note: Rankings are National League only
Looking ahead
Diamondbacks RHP Taijuan Walker (7-7, 3.55 ERA) at Rockies LHP Kyle Freeland (11-8, 3.81), 6:40 p.m., AT&T SportsNet
The Rockies kick off a critical weekend series at home against the Diamondbacks with their best Coors Field pitcher, Freeland, the 24-year-old native of Denver. He faced this matchup once before, in Arizona way back in April, when he allowed just one run over six innings in victory. His last game, last week against the Braves, didn’t go as well as Freeland gave up four runs on 10 hits over six innings in a road defeat. But this is at home, where he has a 3.30 ERA this season in Colorado. Walker is coming off two strong outings, against the Mets and Giants, in which he combined to allow just one run over 11 2/3 total innings. Nick Groke, The Denver Post
Saturday: Diamondbacks LHP Patrick Corbin (12-11, 3.91) at Rockies RHP Jon Gray (6-3, 4.18), 6:10 p.m., AT&T SportsNet
Sunday: Diamondbacks RHP Zack Godley (6-7, 3.29) at Rockies RHP Antonio Senzatela (10-5, 4.68), 1:10 p.m., AT&T SportsNet
Monday: Giants’ LHP Matt Moore (4-13, 5.49) at Rockies RHP German Marquez (10-5, 4.18), 1:10 p.m., AT&T SportsNet
