Rockies rolling right to Series
"They" said the Colorado Rockies never would be able to win.
Well, "they" were wrong. And "they" will be wrong again if "they" pick against the Rox in the National League championship series.
Here's why:
Rocky Mountain mojo: The Rockies are the hottest thing in baseball, bringing a stretch of 17 wins in 18 games into tonight's Game 1 of the NLCS against Arizona.
True enough, Brandon Webb, who starts Game 1 for the D'backs, helped to account for that only loss by the Rockies, who've steamrolled ever since. Maybe Matt Holliday never did touch home plate to end the tiebreaker game against the Padres, but no matter. The mojo's been working.
OBP matters: Cubs fans can only look on with envy here. The Rox led the NL with an on-base percentage of .354. They also were second in runs scored. See the correlation, Cubs management, between OBP and runs scored? The Rockies were first in batting average and hits, and fourth in slugging. Veteran first baseman Todd Helton led the league in OBP at .434.
MVP, MVP: He should have stiff competition from the Phillies' Jimmy Rollins for the National League Most Valuable Player award, but Matt Holliday is the real deal.
He won the batting championship and RBI title while finishing fourth in homers -- a near Triple Crown. Holliday also led the league in hits with 216, total bases (386) and doubles (50) and was among the leaders in runs, OBP and slugging.
Bullpen underrated: The D'backs led the league in saves, with Jose Valverde's 47, but Colorado's bullpen ERA was 3.85 compared with 3.95 for Arizona. Brian Fuentes had 20 saves, and Manny Corpas had 19, including 3-for-3 in the NLDS. Ex-Cub LaTroy Hawkins, used properly in a setup role, had a respectable WHIP (walks plus hits per innings pitched) of 1.23.
Supporting cast: Troy Tulowitzki is a favorite to win Rookie of the Year. He led NL rookies with 99 RBI, 104 runs, 177 hits, 57 walks, 292 total bases and 48 multihit games. Brad Hawpe and Ryan Spilborghs might be unheard of outside of the Mountain Time Zone, but everybody will know them within a week. Kaz Matsui has found new life with the Rockies.