SAN FRANCISCO — The Rockies’ one-two pitching punch is finally emerging. It’s just not the tandem everyone expected it to be.
The team’s would-be ace, southpaw Kyle Freeland, is still re-tooling in Triple-A Albuquerque. And while German Marquez has shown flashes of his advertised brilliance and he gives the team a chance to win nearly every time out, it’s been fellow right-hander Jon Gray who’s filled Colorado’s void near the top of the rotation.
Gray owns the lowest ERA in the Colorado starting rotation (3.92) and the most wins at eight following an impressive six-inning performance in a 2-0 victory over the Giants in Monday’s series opener.
The 27-year-old has, in his manager’s words, been “really steady and dependable” this year after a 2018 season that saw him stumble from opening day starter to a midseason demotion to Triple-A.
“He’s shown marked improvement from what we saw last year with the bit of a roller-coaster ride, so I’m really proud of Jon in a lot of areas,” Bud Black said. “On the pitching side, the velocity is up, and with the pitching coaches, Jon’s made a little bit of a tweak with his grip on a couple different pitches… And he’s shown signs of being in control of games, which is a great mark.”
RELATED: Breaking down how the Colorado bullpen has been a steadying force this season
For Gray, his success this season is a matter of mindset. After being unable to eat on game days last year caused him to lose weight and velocity, continued poor results found Gray “hating baseball,” and dreading the inevitable snowball inning and/or blowout outing.
Last year, Gray might have imploded in the first inning with a couple runners aboard — as happened in his start on Monday at Oracle Park. But in 2019, Gray’s keeping cool under pressure. He’s pitched six innings or more in 11 of 16 outings.
“I’m seeing opportunities in those situations,” Gray said. “Rather than having your back against the ropes (mindset), I’m thinking, ‘How cool would it be to leave the runners stranded out there?’ I see that opportunity now and I’m working really hard to get it. It’s been a complete switch.”
The right-hander elaborated, noting that even on days when he doesn’t feel like he has his best stuff, he still carries confidence on the mound.
“Last year I felt like nothing but bad things were happening consistently,” the former No. 3 overall draft pick said. “Now, I feel good things happening consistently. I feel the momentum of that and of training myself to feel dominant and feel like I need to win. Last year, I didn’t feel that at all. I felt like, ‘How the hell am I going to get through this? I don’t have anything.’
“My whole thought process has changed on the mound.”
Gray is slated to start next Saturday against the Dodgers at Coors Field. And as his self-confidence has increased, his confidence in the Colorado staff overall — which still ranks last in the National League with a 5.56 ERA — hasn’t wavered, either.
“We’ve hit a couple bumps in the road this year as a staff, but I think you’re going to see a lot more games where we really anchor down and stick it out for the team,” Gray said. “Games like (Monday), when we win by just a run or two, they mean a lot to us.”
