By ARNIE STAPLETON
AP Sports Writer

DENVER(AP) -- It's a Rocktober redux for the Colorado Rockies, who
are back in the playoffs after a one-year hiatus.

"It stings," Troy Tulowitzki said as he squinted away the tears
that were flushing the champagne out of his eyes. "But I've
never forgotten '07 and it's great to experience it again. It
never gets old."

Aaron Cook pitched four-hit ball over eight spectacular innings
in his second start since missing a month with a sore shoulder,
and Garrett Atkins drove in three runs for the Rockies in a 9-2
win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday.

The Rockies' fourth straight victory eliminated Atlanta, their
final pursuer, from contention for the NL wild card. Colorado
can still catch the Dodgers for the NL West title if the Rockies
sweep a weekend series in Los Angeles.

"We're in," Tulowitzki said. "Anything can happen once you're
in."

The Dodgers, who have lost four straight, were off Thursday and
watched their division lead over the Rockies get sliced to two
games with three left.

As the Rockies rejoiced behind the mound after the final out,
fans broke into a chant of "Beat L.A.! Beat L.A!" while
fireworks crackled through a cloudless sky.

"We're celebrating right now. We'll worry about that tomorrow,"
Todd Helton said as his teammates sprayed him with beer and
champagne.

On the other side of the clubhouse, manager Jim Tracy was
getting soaked by players serenading him with "Boom Boom Pow" by
the Black Eyed Peas.

"I've never had a better feeling than this in 33 years in
professional baseball," Tracy said.

He's not planning on resting any regulars in Los Angeles.

"Until we get beat a game, we're going to try to win the
division," Tracy said.

A bundled-up crowd of more than 38,000 sat through blustery
winds on a 50-degree day to watch the record-setting win. At
91-58, the Rockies set a franchise mark for wins in a season and
moved 23 games over .500 for the first time in their 17-year
history.

Unlike two years ago, when they got hot at the right time,
winning 21 of 22 on their way to their only World Series
appearance, these Rockies simply got good.

Very good.

After trading slugger Matt Holliday last fall for closer Huston
Street and outfielder Carlos Gonzalez, the Rockies got off to a
stumbling start. They were 18-28 on May 29 when Tracy took over
after general manager Dan O'Dowd fired longtime manager Clint
Hurdle.

When O'Dowd offered Tracy the job, he told him, "I just want to
see them play better."

Tracy asked for 60 minutes to mull the offer.

O'Dowd said he'd gladly give him an hour's time to think about
it but not a minute more because he needed a manager in the
dugout that night.

Tracy talked it over with his wife and told O'Dowd he thought
the Rockies could indeed play better under his tutelage.

Have they ever.

Under Tracy, the Rockies are 73-40, and they took over sole
possession of the lead in the wild-card race, which they trailed
by 9 1/2 games at midsummer, on Sept. 1.

The Rockies, who were 12 games under .500 on June 3, turned
their season around and rejoined the pennant race with
sensational starting pitching (they're the only team with five
starters with double-digit wins), a brilliant bullpen, a mixture
of clutch situational and power hitting and deft managerial and
front office moves.

The Rockies reached the playoffs as the NL wild card in 1995 and
2007, when they went an unfathomable 21-1 during a stunning
run-up to the World Series, where they were swept by Boston
after a weeklong layoff.

"It's not been as crazy a ride coming down the stretch but it's
been just as fun," Cook said. "So, we're going to enjoy it just
as much."

The Rockies are 71-36 since June 3.

"No, I don't think anybody in here was thinking this back then,"
Atkins said. "If they say that, they're probably lying. We knew
we were a better team than how we were playing. But to come back
from as far back as we did is pretty impressive."

After whittling their magic number to one on Wednesday night,
the Rockies took a quick 1-0 lead Thursday when Atkins'
first-inning blooper fell in front of left fielder Ryan Braun
for a single, allowing Helton to score from second.

The Rockies chased left-hander Manny Parra (11-11) with a
four-run third, when Atkins followed Tulowitzki's run-scoring
single with an RBI double into the right-field corner. Parra
walked Cook and Dexter Fowler with two outs and the bases loaded
to make it 5-0.

Atkins added a run-scoring single off John Axford in the sixth
after Braun hit his 31st homer in the top half. Cook then drew
his second bases-loaded walk, making it 7-1. After striking out
his first four times up, Brad Hawpe hit his 22nd homer off Chris
Smith in the eighth, his two-run shot making it 9-1.

Cook (11-6) allowed one run and four hits in his longest outing
since June 28 at Oakland, cementing his spot in the playoff
rotation.

"All I can say is if there was any doubt in our mind as to
whether we think he's ready or not, we got our answer today,"
Tracy said.

Franklin Morales gave up Mike Cameron's RBI double in the ninth
before getting Alcides Escobar looking at strike three for the
final out.

"My goggles aren't working," Cook cracked as the champagne
rolled over his face and down his neck, where his goggles hung
helplessly.

Tracy surveyed the scene, laughing.

"How much do I love them? I don't have words to describe it," he
said. "The best thing about this club, look around this
clubhouse and the veteran leadership that we have and the youth
and the mix that we have here. The young people will be able to
feed off this for a long time. I guarantee if you get this taste
in your mouth and it won't go away."

NOTES: Colorado's previous best mark was 90-73 in 2007, when it
won a wild-card tiebreaker over San Diego in 13 innings. ... The
Rockies drew 2,665,080 fans, their highest total since 2002.