As the heat climbed toward 97 degrees Wednesday afternoon and the air dried out like a week-old hot dog, , as it does, turned into that weird, old launching pad of home runs and gap shots. The scoreboard ticked off 13 runs through five innings.
But they were all Rockies runs. faced no such difficulty shutting down the through five scoreless frames in Colorado’s 18-4 rout for a series sweep. Flashing his best curveball of the season and a fastball-slider combo to match, Gray powered through a Padres lineup held feeble.
“You can feel that warming up before the game, how dry the ball is in your hand,” Gray said at his locker after the Rockies won a fourth consecutive game and their first series sweep since June 18. “Just know that and make sure to get pitches down. Because sometimes they can get up on you. It’s good to think about before you make every pitch — not in the middle of it.”
That plan extended well into Wednesday morning, when Gray sat with veteran catcher Ryan Hanigan and his pitching coaches to plot out a plan. San Diego’s lineup loves fastballs. The Padres might be deep in fourth place in the National League West, but they won two of three at Coors Field in April.
So Gray plotted out a series of breaking pitches, starting with his curveball. With runners at first and third in the fourth, he caught Jabari Blash looking with the hook for a strikeout, then set up Franchy Cordero with two curves for strikes before whiffing him on a slider two at-bats later.
“Separation is good with these guys,” Gray said. “We needed to throw it for strikes.”
Gray was coming off his worst outing of the season, an eight-run, two-inning bombardment at New York last week against the Mets. Rockies manager Bud Black started Gray in his team’s first game back from the all-star break, a nod that placed the 25-year-old right-hander at the top of Colorado’s rotation.
“The fastball was located better early in the game and the slider got better as the game went on, and a good, effective curveball,” Black said. “Nice three-pitch mix. That was a big confidence boost for Jon, not only today, but moving forward.”
Gray, who was touched up for four runs in the sixth, earned his third win this season after missing 77 days with a broken foot suffered in April, he finished with seven strikeouts on two walks and seven hits as the six innings pitched was his longest outing of the season at Coors Field. It was set up with an 80 mph curveball.
“The more and more I use it, the better it gets,” he said. “It’s a feel pitch. It can’t be thrown lazy. But whenever it’s thrown well, it’s a really good pitch. And it’s a groundball pitch. It’ll be a weapon.”
Blackmon removed. Rockies center fielder was pulled in the middle of an at-bat in the sixth inning after two separate cramps crept into his left leg, once his quadriceps, another in his hamstring. Blackmon said he did not suffer an injury, just slight dehydration.
“I just took a swing and right as I used my hamstring, it cramped up,” he said. “It’s just a sign you’re dehydrated. It was never sore, it never hurt. Just a cramp.”
Before his removal, Blackmon was all over the park with his bat, hitting 3-for-3 with a two-run homer to center field in the fourth, his third in four games. He scored three runs.
Blackmon extended a hitting streak to 14 games, tying his season high. He is 25-for-58 (.431) over that stretch. His 23rd home run is a club high and his seven-game streak of at least one extra-base is the longest for a Rockies hitter since did it in 2015.
ǴdzٲԴdzٱ.The Rockies activated outfielder (rib stress) from the 60-day disabled list and optioned him to Triple-A, where he has been playing in a rehab stint. The move takes Colorado to a full, 40-man roster. … Right-hander threw two shutout innings in relief, his longest outing since Sept. 1, 2015. Black was determined to let Diaz go, even sending him to the on-deck circle in the eighth. Diaz, a former catcher, has never seen a plate appearance in the majors. “I was ready,” he said laughing. “But I was a catcher, like, eight years ago.”… Right-hander (cancer) will pitch Sunday for Triple-A Albuquerque in his third rehab appearance. The plan is for four innings or about 60 pitches.
Looking ahead
Thursday: Off
Friday: Pirates RHP Trevor Williams (3-4, 4.69) at Rockies RHP Jeff Hoffman (6-1, 4.33 ERA), 6:40 p.m., AT&T SportsNet
Saturday: Pirates RHP Chad Kuhl (3-6, 4.85) at Rockies RHP German Marquez (7-4, 4.34), 6:10 p.m., AT&T SportsNet
Sunday: Pirates RHP Ivan Nova (10-6, 3.27) at Rockies LHP Kyle Freeland (9-7, 3.67), 1:10 p.m., AT&T SportsNet
