Monday Morning Rockpile: Oh my incredible!

The words for describing how improbable the sweep in San Diego was escape me. So many out of the ordinary events occurred to allow us to win yesterday and over the course of the series that you really have to wonder if the baseball gods have finally taken pity on us and are offering a direct hand in things. Whatever you call it, there is definitely another level that the Rockies have reached in this last week, and I couldn't be prouder as a fan than I am watching them play right now. There are still plenty of challenges ahead of us this week, however, so we need six more of these beautiful games to rest happy. That includes you, Mr. Monfort, wipe that smile off your face.

The Rockies have overtaken the Brewers in playoff probability -and we've cracked the 10% likelihood barrier- but we still need plenty of help this week. The good news is that by being mathematically alive, the Braves will be hungry for wins against Philadelphia, and the Brewers will need to take down the Padres to pass the Cubs. The Giants, unfortunately, haven't won a single series this season against San Diego, sporting a 3-12 record against them, including 2-4 at AT&T. Let's hope our demoralizing sweep has a carryover effect tonight.

He's made his mistakes, but Clint Hurdle deserves some credit for the way things have gone in 2007 -particularly since the rosters were expanded. That said, Chris Jaffe reminds us of one of his bigger managerial career failings, the inability to construct a lineup which gives us the best chance of scoring frequently. For three consecutive seasons, from 2003-2005, his leadoff slot had the second lowest OBP in the lineup, with only the pitcher's slot being worse. I'll give him somewhat of a pass for this season, as the higher OBP guys in slots 2-6 -with the exception of Tulo- aren't particularly suited to batting first in a National League lineup, but it is something to look at going forward.