Rays among teams poised for late-season runs

As of this date two years ago, the Colorado Rockies were an ordinary-looking 59-55 team.




They were five games back in the National League West, according to research through Baseball-Reference.com. They were running fourth in a crowded wild card field. And they were about to embark on one of the most renowned late-season surges in baseball history.

Those Rockies earned a postseason berth by winning 14 of their last 15 games. I'm not sure when we'll see something quite like that again, but it probably won't be anytime soon.

In general, though, the Wild Card Era has conditioned us to expect the sort of late-season sprint that Colorado staged that year.

We remember how the '06 Twins trailed the Tigers by 10½ games in August before rallying to win the American League Central.

We remember how the '04 Astros had a losing record on Aug. 22 before concluding with a 31-8 run to win the wild card.

We remember how the '02 Athletics slumped badly in May but won 20 straight in August and September en route to a division title.

Now, eight weeks before the regular season ends, I'm wondering if any team will join that company this year. I'm trying to figure out if there's any telltale sign that would indicate the potential to make such a run.

So, I asked Dan O'Dowd. As the Colorado general manager, he knows a little something about late-season dark horses.