Gray throws no-no through six as hot start continues in Rockies win
Apr 9, 2021, 6:44 AM
Jon Gray is facing the most critical season of his career. Gray, 29, is an free agent when the 2021 campaign concludes. If he pitches like he has in the first two games of the season, he’ll make a lot of money — and possibly leave both the Rockies and Coors Field, a pitcher’s nightmare in which he’s toiled for his first six major-league seasons.
Gray, who left his first start with cramps, still pitched five innings of one-run ball against the World Series champion Dodgers, striking out seven. He was even better on Thursday.
The big right-hander out of Oklahoma threw six no-hit innings — even without his best fastball — before giving way to the bullpen in the seventh inning after 101 pitches and one run allowed. All told, in his first two starts, Gray has struck out twice as many batters (12) as he’s allowed hits to (6), while walking five in a combined 11.2 innings; good for a 1.55 ERA with both games at Coors.
Expect trade rumors to swirl around Gray all season long, and the Rockies may have to consider a deal at some point this season rather than risk losing him for nothing this winter.
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NEXT UP: Rockies (3-4, 4th in NL West) at Giants (3-3, 3rd, NL West) | Friday, Apr. 9 at 2:35 p.m. | COL: Austin Gomber (0-1, 3.00 ERA) vs SF: Johnny Cueto (0-0, 4.76 ERA).
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NOTES
• Dom Nunez hit his third homer of the season in his fourth start of the season. Last season, all three of the Rockies’ catchers combined for a total of two; both by Elias Diaz, who’s started the other three games of the 2021 campaign.
• Chi Chi Gonzalez is penciled to start Saturday’s game against the Giants. Gonzalez has pitched five relief innings this season, surrendering three runs, three walks and a 5.40 ERA.
• Ryan McMahon did his best Nolan Arenado impression in the sixth inning, plucking a groundball to third with his bare hand and firing it over to first baseman Josh Fuentes for a highlight-reel out that kept Jon Gray’s no-hit bid alive. “That was an unbelievable play. That fired me up,” Gray said. “I looked at the scoreboard, and I was like, ‘Wow, he just saved that right there.’ That’s when I realized it was happening.”
• Daniel Bard was called upon to save the game after Carlos Estevez coughed up a homer and two walks, allowing two runs while retiring only one batter. Bard was up to the task, striking out Josh Rojas on four pitches and then retiring Tim Locastro on only two more to earn his second save of the season.
• The Rockies drew only 10,836 fans on Thursday, despite the fact that COVID-19 restrictions allow them to host almost twice that number.
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THE FINAL WORD
“I actually woke up feeling pretty terrible today. I didn’t feel good in my bullpen. I could just tell it was a day when I wasn’t going to be able to throw very hard.” — Jon Gray, whose fastball averaged 92 mph on Thursday. Gray worked around it to earn the win with 6.2 excellent innings of work.
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INJURY WATCH
• Chris Owings (right hamstring soreness) left the Apr. 7 game and is day-to-day. The team is optimistic that he can avoid a trip to the IL.
• Kyle Freeland (strained left shoulder) was placed on the 10-day IL on Apr. 1. He is expected back in early May.
• Brendan Rodgers (strained right hamstring) was placed on the 10-day IL on Apr. 1.
• Scott Oberg (blood clots) had surgery prior to the end of Spring Training. He was placed on the 60-day IL on Mar. 27 and his season is in doubt.
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STARTING LINEUP
2B Garrett Hampson
LF Raimel Tapia
SS Trevor Story
RF Charlie Blackmon
3B Ryan McMahon
1B Josh Fuentes
CF Sam Hilliard
C Dom Nunez
P Jon Gray
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Shawn Drotar is the host of “The Fan Late Night with Shawn Drotar;” weeknights from 10:00 p.m. to midnight — only on 104.3 The Fan. Follow him on Twitter at @sdrotar.
