Rockies have reasons to believe they’ll contend

“Still at the end of every hard earned day, people find some reason to believe.” — Bruce Springsteen

You are no doubt wondering why I’m quoting The Boss. First, I am Bruce fanatic. Second, at the end of this 10-day, nine-game road trip, my beautiful reward will be seeing “Springsteen on Broadway,” after the Rockies finish a three-game set vs. the Mets. Talk about Thunder Road.

But I digress.

When it comes to the Rockies. there are plenty of naysayers out there. But on Friday, Sam Miller of ESPN.COM posted an insightful column in which he predicted what a successful season would look like for each team. According to Miller’s crystal ball, a successful Rockies season would be to:

Make the division series or accomplish two of the following:

• Win 85 or more games.

• Play meaningful games the final week of the season.

• Get at least one star performance from somebody 24 or younger.

That’s a pretty good list and one that I believe this team can achieve, if things go right.

We already know what’s gone wrong. Here’s a partial list:

• Ian Desmond entered the weekend hitting .182 with a .215 on-base percentage and a .567 OPS.

• The Rockies are batting .230 (11th in the National League) and have 238 strikeouts (third most in the NL).

• No. 1 starter Jon Gray is 2-4 with a 5.79 ERA.

• High-priced set-up man Bryan Shaw has a 7.11 ERA and a 1.82 WHIP.

But, with a tip of the ball cap to my man Bruce, here are some reasons to believe in this team:

• Despite all of the holes in the offense and the woes of an inconsistent pitching staff, the Rockies entered Saturday’s game with a 15-12 record. Catcher Chris Iannetta’s philosophy is that if a team can float at the .500 mark, avoid major losing streaks and then put together two or three good runs during the course of the season, a 90-win season is doable. That’s why this road trip is such an important litmus test.

• I still think Gray is going to win more games than he loses and he will go on a streak where he puts together five or six excellent starts in a row. Is he a true ace? Not right now, and who knows if he’ll ever reach that status. But he’ll deliver more often than he fails this season.

• The offense is starting to come together. The addition of outfielder David Dahl (there’s your 24-year-old player), and the promise of Trevor Story can spark this offense. Predictions: Dahl will be Colorado’s starting left fielder by mid-may, at the very latest; Story will hit 25-plus homers and will finish with a batting average around .260.

• The back end of Colorado’s bullpen is as good as advertised. Wade Davis (nine out of 10 on saves, 2.61 ERA) remains an all-star level closer, and Adam Ottavino (0.66 ERA, 26 strikeouts vs. three walks and two hits) is going to make his first All-star Game if he keeps this up. And once left-hander Chris Rusin returns healthy from the disabled list, I think the front end of the bullpen will improve. It had better.

• If the Rockies are true contenders by the end of July, I think general manager Jeff Bridich and owner Dick Monfort could make a move or two. They did it last year when they added catcher Jonathan Lucroy and reliever Pat Neshek. Perhaps they could rent a seasoned starting pitcher for the stretch run? Perhaps they could add a bat? The price would have to be right, and the Rockies aren’t going to give up infield prospects Brendan Rodgers or Garrett Hampson, but deals might be made.

Who knows? Maybe the Rockies can reach The Promised Land.

Patrick Saunders: psaunders@denverpost.com or @psaundersdp