CHICAGO — Should the Rockies’ season be considered a failure if Colorado closes with back-to-back losses in the NL West tiebreaker and the wild card game?
Itap a tough question, but a question to ponder nonetheless as Colorado heads on the road, again, for a one-game win-or-go-home playoff against a seasoned veteran pitcher (the Cubs’ Jon Lester) in a venue renowned for its historic home field advantage (Wrigley Field).
On one hand, the answer to the tough question is absolutely yes.
Colorado made this same stage last year and, with high-dollar offseason bullpen acquisitions and the gang of DJ LeMahieu, Nolan Arenado, Carlos Gonzalez, Trevor Story and Charlie Blackmon all together for one last guaranteed ride, preseason expectations were to obtain what the Rockies fell just short of in Monday’s decisive loss at Chavez Ravine.
To go out with a wild card defeat for two straight years would be nothing less than a Rocktober gut punch, especially when also considering several of those bullpen “upgrades” (i.e. Bryan Shaw and Jake McGee) have simply not panned out and were unable to be influencers down the stretch.
On the other hand, this team did come closer to the division title than any other team in the quarter-century of franchise history before it. Despite looming questions on the futures of LeMahieu, Gonzalez and Arenado, there’s a strong young rotation intact as well as plenty of young positional talent on the major league roster and in the high minors.
Thus, the heartbreak of falling in a second straight wild card might be somewhat negated by the hope that the 2017 and 2018 postseason trials and tribulations were the start of a new, annually competitive era of Colorado baseball.
The only thing for certain at this point is the Rockies are one victory away from the divisional round, with their best and most fiercely competitive pitcher on the mound in Kyle Freeland. Win Tuesday, and get into a five-game divisional series, and anything can happen — even if Colorado has to play as the visiting team to the streaking Brewers, who beat the Cubs in the NL Central tiebreaker.
But to get past Chicago, Freeland has to pitch his best. The offense can’t afford to snooze. And the team must bounce back from the brink, once again, following its toughest and weightiest loss of the season.
Should Colorado do that, the notion of a failed season becomes a lot less legitimate.
