DENVER — The Los Angeles Dodgers had been expert at playing dead. It was starting to look as if they were running in place.

For weeks, the Colorado Rockies had been gaining steadily. The Dodgers appeared to be yesterday’s team, the best team in the National League before the All-Star break and a mediocre, stumbling team since.
Guess what?
The Dodgers live.
It was a silent night Wednesday for nearly everyone at Coors Field. The Dodgers awakened, pounded the Rockies, 6-1, and revealed that the race to rule the West is far from over.
On Monday and Tuesday at Coors, the Rockies triumphed after thrilling, improbable comebacks.
They were dancing and hugging and rejoicing at Coors after conquering the Giants and Dodgers in extra innings. In living rooms and sports bars across the Front Range, fans were dancing and hugging right along with them.
But no one gets to dance and hug every night, and Wednesday’s loss was the inevitable letdown after all the fun.
Rockies fans were so bored and discouraged late in the loss that they didn’t even bother to drown out a group of a dozen L.A. fans who chanted, “Let’s Go Dodgers!”
Rockies manager Jim Tracy tried, as usual, to be positive.
“There are bright spots,” he said after the game.
His claim grabbed my attention. I failed to detect any bright spot in the defeat.
“The bright spot is, obviously, that we play a game tomorrow.”
The Dodgers, it turns out, aren’t dead yet. Yes, they had lost 17-of-29 heading into Wednesday’s game. Yes, they had watched their 15›-game lead over the Rockies dwindle to two.
The Dodgers lead the NL in wins, but the fad is to dismiss them. The Philadelphia Phillies, the St. Louis Cardinals and the Rockies are the new hot bets to rule the NL.
But the Dodgers follow the steady beat of Joe Torre, a man who knows just about everything there is to know about pennant races.
Following bad calls, most managers fire out of the dugout like a rocket. After umpires called Troy Tulowitzki safe at first base when he was out in the sixth inning, Torre took a slow walk for a casual conversation.
He didn’t bother ranting. He didn’t kick dirt. He’s smart enough to know umps aren’t inclined to reverse their calls.
It was a typical Torre performance. The man is not easily stirred. This is understandable. He survived 12 years of working for George Steinbrenner.
You might think Torre is obsessed with the surging Rockies.
He’s not.
“I’m not really concerned about them,” Torre said in a calm voice. “I have a great deal of respect for them, but it’s all about how we play. ... That’s my concern more than who’s chasing us down.”
Torre had watched starter Randy Wolf deliver a steady, superb performance. He watched his team launch three home runs. He watched the ultra-hot Rockies wither.
He knows what every Rockies fan should know.
This race has only just begun.