Former Pirates skipper gets Rockies rolling

Colorado has won 18 of 23 games since Jim Tracy replaced Clint Hurdle.

DENVER (AP) — When former Pirates manager Jim Tracy replaced Clint Hurdle as Colorado’s manager, GM Dan O’Dowd said he wasn’t expecting miracles.

The Rockies were 10 games under .500 and threatening to become irrelevant before June even started.

Surprise!

The Rockies won 18 of their first 23 under their new skipper, including an incredible 16-1 streak heading into a West Coast trip that began in Anaheim on Monday night.

Tracy likes to deflect credit, but there’s no hiding that it took him half as many games to win 18 times as it took Hurdle, who was fired with the Rockies in last place in the NL West at 18-28.

“I just asked them to play the game correctly. And I’ve asked them to play the game unselfishly, and I’ve asked them to get a little bit more aggressive offensively,” Tracy said. “And we’ve done an unbelievable job of that.”

Colorado won eight straight on the road before an 8-1 homestand that was most memorable for Todd Helton’s game-winning ninth-inning homer Saturday night against Pittsburgh that recalled his similar shot against the Los Angeles Dodgers that ignited their Rocktober run to the 2007 World Series.

After Tampa Bay snapped their winning streak at 11 last week, shortstop Troy Tulowitzki shrugged and suggested, “We’ll just start another streak tomorrow.”

A familiar refrain, but about as believable as their contention a month ago that they were really a good team that just happened to be playing bad baseball.

Just as Tulowitzki envisioned, the Rockies reeled off five straight wins.

“It’s nice to show up and go out and expect to win every day,” second baseman Clint Barmes said.

The Rockies credit their dramatic turnaround to the change in atmosphere that followed the switch in managers on May 29.

They’re not as uptight on the field nor in the clubhouse. They show up at the ballpark expecting to win rather than wondering if they’re in the starting lineup.