Rockies need their bats to produce playoff berth

It didn’t have to be like this. As late as Aug. 18, the Rockies were 68-54 and tied with Arizona for the National League’s top wildcard playoff spot. Hold serve at 14 games over, and the Rockies would surely qualify for the postseason for the f irst time

Now, thanks largely to their incredible disappearing offense, the Rockies are locked in a nail-biting, three-team race for the NL’S final wild card entering the final week of the season. The Rockies lost 5-0 at San Diego on Saturday night and lead the Brewers, who beat the Cubs 4-3 on a walk-off home run earlier in the day, by one game and the Cardinals, who lost 11-6 at Pittsburgh, by 1½ games for the final wild card. So where do the Rockies go from here?

After wrapping up a four-game series at San Diego on Sunday afternoon, they have six games remaining, all at Coors Field — three against Miami and Giancarlo Stanton, the Marlins’ slugging MVP candidate, and three weekend games against the Los Angeles Dodgers, who clinched their fifth consecutive NL West title Friday night.

“The meanings of these games have made people feel a little tighter, just because they’re big games,” said Nolan Arenado, the Rockies’ all-star third baseman. “But we’re never out of it. All we need to do is compete and win ballgames. If we would have played like we know we can, we might not be in this situation. But we’re playing teams that care. The Padres aren’t going to let up. They’re playing hard too. We have to compete better.”

That means taking care of Miami, beginning Monday. Playing the Marlins, who are well under .500,

would appear to be a favorable matchup, but Miami swept three games from the Rockies at home in August.

Also, there is the Stanton factor. He entered Saturday with 56 home runs and with a chance to set what many baseball fans consider the legitimate single-season home run record. He needs five home runs to tie Roger Maris, who slugged 61 for the Yankees in 1961. Maris’ record stood until Mark Mcgwire, Sammy Sosa, Barry Bonds and the PED era came along.

Stanton has hit 10 home runs in 20 games at Coors Field with a .316 batting average, 24 RBIS and 1.211 OPS (on-base percentage, plus slugging).

The Dodgers, on the other hand, present a puzzling challenge.

They owned an incredible 87-34 record on Aug. 19, a full 19 games better than Cleveland’s 68-53. But they have slumped since — and the Indians caught fire, including a record-breaking 22-game win streak.

The Dodgers entered Saturday with a two-game lead over the Indians for the best record in baseball and potential home-field advantage in the World Series. But it still seems likely that the Dodgers will ease off the gas during the final weekend of the regular season. L.A. has taken full advantage of the September roster rules, carrying 39 players, and the Rockies could see a lot of those backup players as the Dodgers rest for the playoffs.

Still, Colorado is scheduled to face Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw on Friday night and he is definitely not in coast mode. The lefthander is still trying to find his groove after missing a good chunk of the season because of a back injury.

“He’s not quite there yet,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters recently. “You can see him feeling for things. But there are signs as we look forward to the postseason that he’s going to be where he needs to be.”

The Rockies beat Kershaw at Dodger Stadium on Sept. 7, chasing him in the fourth inning. He is 9-4 with a 4.58 ERA in 19 starts at Coors Field.

For the Rockies, the key will come down to getting their inconsistent offense righted. The Rockies beat San Diego 4-1 on Friday night, snapping a four-game losing streak that included back-to-back shutouts.

“We just haven’t been getting the big hit,” shortstop Trevor Story said. “We’ve had our chances; we just haven’t taken advantage of them. We just need to do better.”

On the plus side, Colorado’s pitchers have been sharp, posting a 4.00 ERA in September. Righthander Jon Gray, the closest thing the Rockies have to an ace, beat the Padres on Friday, giving him 12 consecutive games of three or fewer earned runs allowed, tying Ubaldo Jimenez’s stretch in 2009 from July 10 to Sept. 7 for second-longest in club history. Gray is slated to start again Wednesday against Miami and could possibly pitch on short rest in the regular-season finale next Sunday if that becomes a must-win game.

Left-hander Tyler Anderson, who has a 1.72 ERA in three September starts, said it’s a mistake to write off Colorado’s offense.

“We’ll get there. We have a really good offense. Our offense is potent,” he said. “Every team goes through stretches like this. But there’s no doubt in my mind our offense will show up when you least expect it and put up 12 on you.”

Fans have been understandably nervous as they have watched Colorado’s slide, but first-year Rockies manager Bud Black continues to be the Pied Piper of optimism.

“The spirit is good,” Black said. “I think guys are embracing where we are. … The last few games, the bats haven’t awoken, but you look at 10 days ago or two weeks ago, and look at where our bats were. So

it’s coming. Our time is coming to swing the bats.”

Charlie Blackmon Baseball’s premier leadoff hitter has helped keep the Rockies afloat while the rest of the team’s offense slumbers. Blackmon has hit .455 with two stolen bases in three games against the Marlins this season.

German Marquez The rookie starter has been sensational for the Rockies at times this year, and he gets one last start, likely Friday night, in a pressure-packed game. He has faced the Dodgers once this season, with no decision.

Clayton Kershaw The ace of the Dodgers is trying to rebound to form for the playoffs after suffering a back injury. Two of his four losses have come at the hands of the Rockies, whom he is scheduled to pitch against Friday night at Coors Field.

Giancarlo Stanton Miami’s slugging right fielder is trying to become only the sixth player in history to hit at least 60 home runs in a season. Stanton usually torches Rockies pitchers and has two of the 10 longest home runs in Coors Field history (504...

Dylan Buell, Getty Images The Brewers celebrate Saturday after Travis Shaw hit a two-run, walk-off homer to beat the Chicago Cubs 4-3 in 10 innings at Miller Park in Milwaukee. Shaw has 31 home runs.