Rockies hoping bats will heat up

The thin mountain air in Denver might do wonders for the slumping Colorado Rockies.

They’re going home again, down 2-0 in the NL Division Series to the Milwaukee Brewers. Game 3 in the best-of-five series is Sunday at Coors Field.

“I don’t have a doubt that we’re going to get things going,” Rockies veteran outfielder Carlos Gonzalez said.

If not, Gonzalez could be gone.

The one-year, $5 million deal he signed last offseason to return to Colorado expires at the end of the year. After 11 seasons playing on Blake Street, the three-time Gold Glove winner and 2010 NL batting champion is about as synonymous with Colorado as dry air and beer.

He’s a lifetime .323 hitter at Coors Field, 72 points higher than his career road average.

Playing in front of a friendly crowd might have help the team relax after a frustrating Friday night of breaking bats and slamming batting gloves into helmets.

The Rockies finished among the major league leaders in several offensive categories this year. But they’ve scored just six runs in four games since slugging five homers in a 12-0 victory over Washington on Sunday that left them tied for the NL West lead after 162 games.

The Rockies will send righthander German Marquez (14-11, 3.77 ERA) to the mound in Game 3 against Milwaukee’s Wade Miley (5-2, 2.57).