The Colorado Rockies are 14 games back of first place in the National League West and trail the wildcard spot by seven, but don’t tell them that. The Denver Nine still likes their chances of playing deep into October.
At 42-49 their season has shadowed the landscape of their home state with valleys followed by peaks followed once again by valleys. However, the overall feel of it has been a climb. No the Boys from Blake haven’t climbed out of the cellar of the NL West just yet, but they are working their way, and it’s that attitude that has the squad having hope.
“It’s way better than it was last year,” Nolan Arenado said. “At this point last year we were nowhere to be found, we’re definitely in the hunt right now and there is some ground for us to make up.”
The club has only improved two games on their record from where they were in 2015 through 91 games. Yet almost everyone agrees this is a better team with a lot of bright spots all over the diamond. Though, the record doesn’t show that improvement the record is all that matters in a results based business.
“We need to win series,” Manger Walt Weiss told. “We need to rack up wins, there’s a sense of urgency with our club I like how we’ve responded so far.”
That sense of urgency can be felt on the rubber where the Rockies have received quality starts in 10 of the 13 games played this month. The pitching has really turned it up a notch.
“We know we are not far off,” Arenado explained. “But we know we have still have a lot of work to do… every game is important from now on in the second half to try to gain some ground.”
With just two weeks until the trade deadline a question of buy or sell has really persisted with the Rockies. If the Rockies were to have a successful seven-game homestand this week, they could justify staying pat or even buying with a .500 record.
“If we make a push we could add some other players,” Carlos Gonzalez pondered. “We talked about it in Spring Training, we talk about everyone having a role and everyone is important. Some guys from the minor leagues that could help us win. I did it when I started a year in Triple-A and I got called up and we made the postseason. It’s not only the guys you start the season with you need a lot more guys than that.”
The talent on the big league roster has consistently improved this year and it will only improve with the addition of the prospects CarGo overviewed. The reasoning for the Rockies to believe that they have made strides is there, but they need to prove to themselves and MLB that they can win and they need to do it before it is too late.
“This is when everyone watches more,” Gonzalez added. “We’re on the last lap and everyone is trying to make a big push trying to make the playoffs. When the playoffs start it’s a different story. For us, we just gotta find a way to get there.”
Although improbable, the Rockies have not lost hope at a postseason berth. The attitude is where it starts when a team is trying to rise from mediocrity, and their attitude is in the right place. The 2016 Colorado Rockies are goal oriented and clearly, they have not given up on their goal of the playoffs.
