While the Colorado Rockies take their tal--OK, that joke is just not funny any longer. Still, the Rockies are in Miami for a three-game series this weekend and still atop the NL West standings. No matter what happened in their series with the Giants, the Rockies were going to still be on top of the division; it was a question of how large or small that lead would be.
After being dominated by San Francisco's Tim Lincecum and Jonathan Sanchez in the first two games of the series (the former no-hitting the team through six-plus innings), the Rockies knocked around Matt Cain and his bullpen help in their only win of the series. Instead of leading the West by only one game, the Rockies salvaged things to maintain a three-game lead over the Giants.
The Rockies hold a slim one-half game lead over the Cleveland Indians for the best record in the majors. The Rockies face a tough test as they visit the 11-6 Marlins, while the Indians visit Minnesota (who just split a four-game series with Baltimore).
Here is a complete look at the NL West standings:
The Rockies don't play San Diego until the middle of May, the only team in the West they have yet to face. And with eight games left in April, the Rockies are assured of at least a .500 record. One win and the team will have just its sixth winning April in franchise history (though 1995's 4-1 record is a result of the strike).
Right now, all we can say is that the Rockies certainly won't look back at April and recall, like they did in so many other years, how poorly they started the season.