DENVER -- Reliever Bryan Shaw struck out six of the seven batters he faced Tuesday night in an outing that bodes well for the rest of the season -- whether he is pitching for the Rockies or some other club.

Shaw pitched the last two innings of a 9-3 loss to the Dodgers in what served as a showcase on the eve of Wednesday’s Trade Deadline. While the Rockies have not been the subject of specific rumors, this is the time of year teams expecting to go deep in the postseason go looking for relief help.

For example, the Braves, with a deep and talented farm system, acquired righty Chris Martin from the Rangers on Tuesday night and are believed to still be looking for relievers. They’re one of the clubs that have scouted the Rockies recently.

And Shaw, 30, not only knows he's a possible trade candidate, he admitted struggling with it his last two outings. He gave up two runs on two hits and a walk at Yankee Stadium on July 20, and he gave up three runs on two hits, two walks and a heinous double steal that occurred with him frozen on the mound last Thursday at Washington.

There is a money issue. Shaw is in the second year of a three-year, $27 million deal, as is lefty Jake McGee, who could draw interest. Closer Wade Davis is two years into a three-year, $52 million deal.

Several teams have expressed interest in righty setup man Scott Oberg, but the Rockies would need an extreme offer to part with their most effective reliever -- especially since he isn't scheduled to hit free agency until after the 2021 season.

So Shaw took the issue head-on in discussions with bullpen coach Darren Holmes.

“Absolutely, and I think everybody does to some extent,” Shaw said. “Honestly, talking with ‘Holmie,’ one of the issues with me over the last couple of weeks has been thinking about that. We tried to just get that out of the head and move forward, instead of thinking about what could happen, or what could possibly happen or what could not happen. It’s out of my control.”

Shaw (2-1, 4.94 ERA in 51 appearances) had a sub-4.00 ERA before this month, but his numbers were elevated during a time when the Rockies have fallen far behind in the National League Wild Card chase. Overall, however, this has been a bounce-back season after going 4-6 with a 5.93 ERA in 61 appearances last year.

On Tuesday, Shaw's cutter and curveball -- a pitch that evolved from a slider -- either pulled him from behind in counts or put away hitters. Shaw said he concentrated on keeping his momentum going toward the plate, rather than spinning off toward first base.

As much as anything, however, he figured he had to keep the looming Trade Deadline from making his mind spin. Holmes helped.

"Over the past couple of weeks, he mentioned that as guys start getting to arbitration, free-agency-type stuff, it can get into guys’ heads," Shaw said. "I have to pitch well so I can get the number or get the money that I think I should get.’ You think about it, think about it and have a bad outing.

“Then, ‘I need this many good outings to cancel that bad outing. Otherwise I’m not going to get to this number.’ It’s the same thing with trades. I have to pitch well to have value if we end up trading me, but if we don’t trade me, I have to continue to be here and continue to have success here. I had to get that out of my head.”