Troy Tulowitzki's Two Homers, Seven RBI Lead Colorado Rockies Past San Diego

Gonzalez went 2-for-4 with two RBI and an intentional walk, but was an afterthought compared to Tulowitzki.

The Rockies shortstop, perhaps the best in baseball, continued his torrid September, belting two home runs and driving in seven runs in the Rockies' 9-6 victory over the Padres, preserving playoff hope.

The reigning National League Player of the Week has hit 11 home runs in September, one short of the club record for any month. He has three multi-homer games in the last eight overall. To top it all off, Tulo has 27 RBI in September.

Keep in mind that the month is just half over.

So, want to know much respect there is for Carlos Gonzalez? Even though Tulowitzki had seven RBI and two home runs, the Padres elected to walk Gonzalez in the eighth inning in order to face Tulowitzki with the bases loaded.

"That was pretty crazy," Gonzalez said. "He is swinging a really hot bat right now."

The Rockies currently sit 2.5 games out of the National League West and Wild Card races. With a record of 80-64, the Rockies have 16 games remaining and still have quite the hill to climb.

Sure, 2.5 games really isn't that far out. They can make that up in a week if everything works out right. The only problem is they aren't in second place in either race. The San Francisco Giants are at least one game ahead of the Rockies, depending on the outcome of their game with the Dodgers. They also finish their series with LA on Thursday that will either gain or lose a half game, something the Rockies have no control of.

Assuming the Phillies run away with the National League East, there are essentially two playoff spots for four teams. The three teams battling it out for the NL West will eventually sort itself out. The two teams that come up short will be hoping that the Braves continue to struggle, allowing them to slide into the Wild Card.

The Rockies face a tough road. After a home stand that saw them go 8-2, the Rockies now only have six home games remaining and 10 games on the road, where their struggles have been very well documented.

Making the playoffs may take more than 90 wins. The Padres already have 82 wins and 17 games remaining, so they would have to go 7-10 to win under 90 games this season. That is not impossible, but unlikely. The Giants need to go 8-8 in order to finish with 90 wins.

That means the goal for the Rockies needs to be 91 wins. To get to that record, the club will have to go 11-5. That doesn't seem like too tall of an order, except for what they would have to do on the road.

Regardless, the Rockies are going to need to continue playing their best baseball to get it, and needless to say, their series with the Giants in nine days at Coors Field will be of utmost importance.

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