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Colorado Rockies Wild Card Chase: Sizing up the Competition

By Kevin Henry

May 18, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Kolten Wong (16) slides head first past Colorado Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) for a stolen base during the fourth inning at Busch Stadium. The Cardinals won 2-0. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
May 18, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Kolten Wong (16) slides head first past Colorado Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) for a stolen base during the fourth inning at Busch Stadium. The Cardinals won 2-0. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports /
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With the end of July just hours away and the Colorado Rockies still very much in the conversation about the postseason, let’s take a look at some of the outside influences that could play a key role in exactly how real the Rockies postseason chances are this season.

After the Colorado Rockies won their fifth consecutive game with a 7-2 decision over the New York Mets on Saturday night at Citi Field, the Rockies stand just four games out of the hunt for one of the National League’s two Wild Card slots. Four teams currently stand ahead of the Rockies in the chase for the second slot … the St. Louis Cardinals, Miami Marlins, Mets, and Pittsburgh Pirates.

At the end of Saturday’s action, the Los Angeles Dodgers lead the Wild Card with the Cardinals and Marlins in a tie for the second spot. The Mets are 2.5 games back while the Pirates are just a half-game behind them. Next up? The Rockies, four games back.

This is a big week ahead for the Rockies. After Sunday’s finale in Queens, the Rockies have an off day on Monday before starting an eight-game homestand featuring three games against the Dodgers followed by three games against the Marlins. The homestand concludes with a pair of games against the Texas Rangers, who currently lead the American League West.

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To say this upcoming homestand is big is an understatement. Even though it will be early August, there should very much be a playoff feel around Coors Field this week. If the Rockies are going to make a move in the Wild Card chase, this is the week to do it with six games against two teams ahead of them in the standings.

Let’s take a look at some of the latest news involving some of the teams ahead of the Rockies in the Wild Card standings…

Miami Marlins

The Marlins who come into Coors Field next week will be a vastly different team than the one the Rockies saw in south Florida in mid-June.

Miami acquired three pitchers, including starter Andrew Cashner, on Friday from the San Diego Padres. They also have All-Star second baseman Dee Gordon back after an 80-game suspension following a failed PED test.

The Marlins have made it clear they have their sights set on the postseason and, of the three Wild Card contenders ahead of the Rockies, they appear to have the strongest team on paper.

They flexed their muscles on Saturday night with an 11-0 demolition of the Cardinals in Miami.

St. Louis Cardinals

The Cardinals have been injury ravaged this season but are expecting to have players like Matt Carpenter and Jhonny Peralta back very soon, possibly within the next week.

Will that be enough to push the Cardinals into the playoffs? With the Chicago Cubs leading the National League Central, it could be the Cardinals and Pirates battling each other in division play to see who can keep up in the Wild Card chase. Having them beat up on each other could help the other teams fighting for the Wild Card, including Colorado.

The Cardinals visit Coors Field from September 19-21. The Rockies dropped two of three in St. Louis in mid-May.

New York Mets

Desperate for a jumpstart, the Mets are reportedly chasing Milwaukee catcher Jonathon Lucroy and/or Cincinnati’s Jay Bruce. The offense is struggling, the bullpen is having trouble, and the New York media has turned up the heat on Mets manager Terry Collins and the entire team.

Heading into Saturday’s action, the Mets had scored just 38 runs after the All-Star break, the fewest of any MLB team. Mix that in with some late blown leads like in Thursday’s loss to the Rockies and you can see why the warning sirens are going off in Queens.

By the way, Colorado is 6-0 against the Mets this season.

Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pirates traded their All-Star closer, Mark Melancon, to the Washington Nationals on Saturday afternoon in exchange for reliever Felipe Rivero and pitching prospect Taylor Hearn.

Losing a dominant closer is never easy for any team, especially one that still has a shot at the postseason via the Wild Card. Marty Leap of our FanSided sister site, RumBunter.com, expects Tony Watson (1-3, 2.66 ERA, no saves) to take over closing duties while Neftali Feliz or former Colorado pitcher Juan Nicasio becoming the Pittsburgh setup man.

Next: 5 Bold Predictions for Colorado's Second Half

Our take: You can’t just replace an All-Star like Melancon. Ask the Rockies how they did last year trying to replace Adam Ottavino in the closing role. This will certainly weaken the Pirates in the later innings.

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