The Colorado Rockies easily could have spent this whole week making up scenarios that most likely weren’t going to happen.
They could have talked about how if only the Padres, Giants, and Braves would go on to lose all of their games, and the Rockies won all of theirs, then…well, of course, the Rockies are still alive.
On Monday night at Coors Field, with their ace Ubaldo Jimenez on the mound looking for his 20th win of the season, the Rockies removed all doubt, losing to the lowly Dodgers 3-1.
Jimenez looked to be back on track, save a bad first inning that he nearly got out of. He went seven innings, giving up just the two first inning runs. He struck out six and walked four. He has one more chance to pick up his 20th win, on Saturday in St. Louis.
The Rockies were owned by Ted Lilly, for the third time in 2010. Whether he is a Cub or a Dodger, one thing never seems to change, he owns the Rockies. Besides a Carlos Gonzalez monster home run to deep center field, Lilly was nearly untouchable.
For the Rockies, the offseason is essentially here. They are already making decisions that are leading into the winter. Jason Giambi has been shutdown with sore biceps from his swing on Sunday. If the Rockies were actually still in the playoff race, he most likely would be available.
Is it a disappointment that the Rockies did not make the playoffs in 2010? Of course. Dan O’Dowd and the front office put together a team that was more talented than any team in the history of the franchise. The Rockies looked stacked from top to bottom. The talent was there, but the results took too long to come around.
Despite the season being a disappointment, there are several reasons why Rockies fans should not be completely upset with their team. Despite Troy Tulowitzki missing 33 games with a broken wrist in the middle of the season, the Rockies were still in the race in the middle of September.
Despite losing their top left-handed pitcher in Jorge De La Rosa for nearly one-third of the season, the Rockies were able to hang around late into the race.
The progression of Jhoulys Chacin has been more than encouraging. Ubaldo Jimenez, despite regressing in the second half, showed how good he can be. For the first time in their history, the Rockies have a starter who is one of the best in the league.
The Rockies may not be in the playoffs, but the franchise and their fans still have quite a bit to be encouraged about. This team was not thrown together to give them one chance at winning a championship. This team has been built to compete for the long term. They may have fallen short in 2010, but all signs are pointing to this team being very competitive for many years to come.
Five years ago, the rallying cry for Rockies fans was not for a World Series title, it wasn’t even for the playoffs, it was for meaningful games in September. Well, Rockies fans got what they wished for. This team is that and much, much more.
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