I argued earlier this week that the Colorado Rockies had a chance to establish themselves as true contenders during this week's three-game series against the Dodgers in Los Angeles. "If the Rocks get swept, they'll know they still have some work to do before reaching an elite level. Ditto if they win one of three, although to a considerably lesser degree, particularly if they're competitive in each match," I wrote.
Thanks to a 1-0 loss yesterday, the Rockies experienced the latter scenario. In announcing this news during last night's Channel 7 newscast, sports anchor Lionel Bienvenu gave a little speech about how there's no such thing as a moral victory -- not exactly a new observation, and one that isn't entirely valid in this case. Dodger Stadium is a pitchers' ballpark, so there's no reason to freak just because the Rocks were extremely anemic at the plate. And while they don't earn any extra points in the standings for keeping things close in each contest (the Dodgers other victory took thirteen innings to complete), they served notice that they're no longer as easy a "W" as they were earlier in the season.
Unfortunately, the Rockies don't get another shot at the Dodgers for more than a month; they next take them on during a three-game home series August 25-27. Job one: Keep building victories over the interim, to ensure that these faceoffs matter. Job two: Payback.