Colorado Rockies: Their season is stuck in purgatory

Al Pacino in The Godfather III said it best. “Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.” As everyone was about write off the Colorado Rockies‘ 2018 season, DJ LeMahieu stepped up to the plate in the top of the ninth and crushed a two-run home run into the left field bleachers to steal 9-8 victory from the San Francisco Giants on Thursday afternoon.

The Rockies carried that momentum into their trip to Los Angeles as they got two outstanding pitching performances from German Marquez and Tyler Anderson in back-to-back 3-1 victories over the Dodgers.

Then, just as I was about to declare that the Rockies were right back in the thick of the playoff race, Matt Kemp did what he always seems to do to the Rockies and spoiled what would have been the sixth sweep of the Dodgers at Dodgers Stadium in franchise history.

I don’t know if Rockies’ fans, especially myself, can take much more of this. The emotional roller coaster ride that this team continues to provide is painstakingly demoralizing. No wonder Nolan Arenado is getting upset.

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The Rockies have to someway, somehow get over .500 and stay there because right now they are stuck in purgatory. With the recent sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks by the Giants, the Rockies are still in striking distance of the National League West lead at six games back … but there are lot of teams ahead of them. The same can be said for the Wild Card as they are only five games back.

The real issue here is time. With two weeks left until the All-Star break and four weeks until the trade deadline, the Rockies cannot continue to sit around .500 as they may miss out on some valuable trade opportunities.

With multiple expiring contracts on the roster, Colorado general manager Jeff Bridich has countless trade options available … but he must decide whether not to be buyers or sellers. Unfortunately for him, his team’s play has not made the decision easy.

Next: To trade or not to trade Nolan Arenado?

Nine of the next 15 games are against the Giants and Diamondbacks so the fate of 2018 season may well be determined in the coming weeks.