Cook, bats wrap up playoff berth

The Rockies finished off a three-game sweep of the Brewers at Coors Field today and, in the process, put the finishing touches on a surprising playoff berth. Garrett Atkins was the star of the day, notching three hits and three RBI, but it was an all-around superb effort by the offense that led to a 9-2 win. Seven different players had hits, and the two that didn't -- including starting pitcher Aaron Cook -- drove in runs on bases-loaded walks.

As important as the offensive output, though, was the excellent performance by Cook on the mound. Cook was his old self today, pitching eight innings of one-run ball on just 85 pitches. Were Cook not coming back from injury, he probably could have pitched a complete game. On a day when the Rockies got such a complete effort from the offense, the Rockies didn't really need that kind of an outing from Cook to win. But heading into the playoffs, the team clearly needs Cook to be a rock: Jason Marquis has struggled in September, while Ubaldo Jimenez has had rough outings here and there this month. And it's never a good idea to rely too much on Jorge de la Rosa, no matter how good he's looked in the second half.

So now, the Rockies head to Los Angeles for the weekend playing with house money. With the playoff spot wrapped up already, the Rockies can try to win the division with a three-game sweep. Or they can concentrate on getting the stars rested up for the playoffs, and let the kids get some playing time.

Rockies close in on playoff spot

With four games to play, the Colorado Rockies now have a four-game lead in the wild card standings. Officially, the Braves can still come back and force a one-game playoff, but unofficially, it's close to being a done deal. The Rockies can wrap up a playoff spot with a win today. Aaron Cook, we're counting on you.

The last two nights have been huge for the Rockies. Chris Iannetta's walk-off homer on Tuesday night gave the Rockies a win on a day when the Braves lost; the same happened last night, as the Rockies got homers from Todd Helton, Carlos Gonzalez, and Troy Tulowitzki while Ricky Nolasco shut down the Braves.

And technically, the Rockies can still win the West with a win today and a three-game sweep of the Dodgers this weekend. That would mark the first division title in franchise history. Already, with 90 wins, this is the best Rockies team in history; after all, the 2007 team won 90 games in the regular season, but that team needed 163 games to get there.

But win today, and it's all over.