NewsHomegrown talent fuels Rockies' run
Colorado (92-68) at Los Angeles (93-67), 8:10 p.m. MT
By Rhett Bollinger / MLB.com
10/03/09 2:02 AM EST
LOS ANGELES -- When the Rockies clinched a playoff berth with their win on Thursday, manager Jim Tracy couldn't help but be proud. After all, his team was 12 games under .500 on June 3 and had the second-worst record in the National League before going on a tear the rest of the way to clinch the third playoff berth in franchise history. But Tracy was also proud of the fact that his entire lineup that day was made up of homegrown talent as all eight position players and starter Aaron Cook were originally drafted by the organization while reliever Franklin Morales signed with the club as an international free agent. "Including the guy who pitched ninth inning, Franklin Morales, every player we used [Thursday] was a homegrown player and there are not a lot of organizations that can boast about something like that," Tracy said. That largely homegrown team still has a chance for the NL West Division title, too, as the Rockies won Friday against the Dodgers, and by winning the last two games of the season against Los Angeles, the club can clinch its first division title. "It means we're a pretty good baseball team and that we're going to remain a pretty good baseball team for a period of time," Tracy said of his team's homegrown talent. "It's because we're young on the field but have quality veterans out there and then a deep farm system, deep pitching, and if we can continue with our mind-set we have, we're not going away." Tracy also praised the Rockies' front office for its commitment to scouting and drafting top players seemingly every season for his team's recent success. "In my opinion the word organization is a strong word but I think this an organization in every sense of the word," Tracy said. The Rockies, though, won't rely on a yet another homegrown pitcher on the mound on Saturday as left-hander Jorge De La Rosa will take the mound against the Dodgers. De La Rosa has played for three big league clubs over his six-year career, but this has been his best season with a 16-9 record and a 4.45 ERA. But he's struggled against the Dodgers in his career, going 0-2 with a 5.74 in three career starts against Los Angeles. Pitching matchupCOL: LHP Jorge De La Rosa (16-9, 4.45 ERA)
The Rockies needed De La Rosa on Sunday. Although he wasn't sharp and faced nearly constant traffic in five innings, he finished with eight strikeouts and made enough pitches at key times -- pitching out of bases-loaded situations twice -- to win. He needs one more victory to match the club record of 17, held by Jeff Francis (2007), Pedro Astacio (1999) and Kevin Ritz (1995). LAD: LHP Clayton Kershaw (8-8, 2.89 ERA)
Kershaw made a decent return to the rotation Sunday after missing three weeks with a separation of his non-throwing shoulder, but he'll need to get deeper than four innings to convince the staff he's ready for prime-time playoff responsibilities. He seems healthy enough, but he struggled with command of his slider against the Pirates. Pitch count is always the key for him. Tidbits
The 2005 Astros were the last team to clinch a playoff berth despite being at least 12 games under .500 during the regular season. The last team to do it before Houston was the 1989 Blue Jays. ... Tracy is also just the third manager in history to take over a team that was at least 10 games under .500 and lead it to at least 10 games over .500 at the end of the season. Cito Gaston was the last to do it in 1989 with the Blue Jays. ... The Rockies' final 2009 attendance figure was 2,665,090, which is the highest home attendance for the club since 2002, when it drew 2,737,918. Tickets
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• Sunday: Rockies (Jason Marquis, 15-12, 3.95) at Dodgers (Vicente Padilla, 11-6, 4.55), 2:10 p.m. MT
Rhett Bollinger is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
