Just two years removed from a World Series appearance, the Colorado Rockies appeared to have returned to being an afterthought in the NL West.

Entering June they were in last place with a 20-30 record, 13.5 games back of the division leading Dodgers. They had just fired manager Clint Hurdle and replaced him with bench coach Jim Tracy.

Tracy’s track record as a manager is not the brightest, but for some reason the change has worked out to propel the Rockies back into Major League relevance.

After starting just 2-4, Tracy’s squad went on to win 11 straight and 17 of 18.

As a result, the Rockies find themselves 41-37 at the end of June, just 1.5 games back of San Francisco in the NL wild card race.

July will be a crucial month for the Rockies as they have the chance to prove their success beyond the single hot streak. If they maintain a high level of play, general manager Dan O’Dowd may look to add a piece or two at the deadline rather than trade for the future.

There simply is not a better hitter in baseball than Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols.

The two-time NL MVP is putting up numbers at an incredible rate. Currently hitting .332, Pujols is sixth in the NL and trails leader Hanley Ramirez by 13 points and his power numbers are astronomical. He leads the Majors in home runs (30) and RBIs (77).

Currently on pace for 61 home runs and 158 RBI, he appears keen on setting both as new career highs.

More importantly, he has the opportunity to become Major League Baseball’s first triple-crown winner since Red Sox outfielder Carl Yastrzemski in 1967.

Unfortunately for Pujols, the odds are stacked against him. At some point, managers will start giving him the Barry Bonds treatment. Their pitchers will be told to pitch around Pujols at all costs and instead choose to let whomever Tony La Russa penciled into the cleanup spot beat them instead.

Regardless, Pujols seems to be a shoe-in for his second consecutive and third overall MVP trophy as long as he stays healthy. There is no one in baseball that means as much to his team as Pujols does for St. Louis.

David Ortiz: Down but not out

Might we have just witnessed the resurgence of Boston slugger David Ortiz?

Ortiz entered the month of June hitting .185 with one home run and 18 RBI. Not a soul outside of the Boston clubhouse thought Ortiz would recover. Many people speculated that Ortiz was done, no longer capable of hitting for average and power.

Then June came. In 75 plate appearances, Ortiz hit .320 with a .409 on-base percentage. He also hit seven home runs and added 18 RBI.

Now, rather than wondering if Big Papi is done, they wonder if he is just getting started. Could David Ortiz, like Carlos Delgado and Jason Giambi before him, be this years’ story of a slumping slugger returning to glory? One month isn’t quite enough to tell for sure, but it appears there is still a bit of baseball life left for Ortiz.

The Los Angeles Dodgers announced that the left field section known as “Mannywood,” would return along with the suspended superstar tomorrow against San Diego.

More importantly, we have once again been shown that players are easily forgiven for run-ins with steroids.

While Ramirez’s suspension may cost him entry to the Hall of Fame, it won’t keep fans from returning to their seats and cheering him when he comes back.

The Dodgers, after going just 14-12 in the month of June, certainly won’t mind having him back either. But, in many ways, having been without Man-Ram for 50 games will help this ball club in the long run.

So many people were convinced after last season’s performance that the Dodgers could only be successful with Ramirez. This season, they got off to the best start in the Majors with him, and maintained it without him.

Now as LA’s 2008 savior returns in the middle of the 2009 campaign, he has the chance to do something great. If Ramirez can shake off rust and the wave of criticism that will hit from the media immediately upon his return, the Dodgers will run away with the West.