Through the first two games of the NLDS, the Colorado Rockies have a lot of questions that need answers. How do they keep Ryan Howard and Raul Ibanez off the base paths? How do they relieve an already taxed rotation? How do they give themselves the best chance to win? The answer to all of those questions is Jorge De La Rosa.

De La Rosa strained his left groin in his final start of the season against the Los Angeles Dodgers on October 3rd, in a game where he was hurling a gem. He had faced the minimum nine batters through the first three innings before leaving with the injury that has kept him sidelined since. He claimed that he’s ready for the NLDS, but skipper Jim Tracy hasn’t officially made his decision on which arm he’ll put on the mound in Game 4 against the Phillies.

During the regular season, De La Rosa’s beginning was anything but fantastic, going 0-6 in his first 10 starts, with a 5.43 ERA. However, since June, he’s gone 16-3 in 22 starts with a 3.94 ERA, giving up more than four earned runs only four times in that stretch. Yet he remains fourth out of five on the Rockies’ starting pitcher depth chart. The only area of concern is that two of his six losses have come at the hands of the Phillies in 2009, giving up 12 earned runs in just 9.2 innings, but that was the regular season. This is the playoffs.

De La Rosa still has a lot to prove in his relatively young career, and with time split in Milwaukee and Kansas City before landing in Colorado, things can only go up for the 28-year-old left-hander. Give him a chance. If he gets the nod in Game 4, you can bet he’ll have his A-game. He was willing to pitch through a groin injury when Colorado had already clinched a playoff berth, do you honestly think he’s not ready to go now?