At Camelback Ranch
The line for Jon Gray, the Rockies’ presumed opening-day starter, was ugly: five runs allowed on six hits, two walks and a hit batter over four innings. Kike Hernandez hit a three-run homer and a two-run double off him.
The right-hander might have been frustrated by his outing Wednesday night against the Dodgers, but he also found a few positive nuggets.
“It all comes down to getting ahead of guys … I didn’t do that,” he said. “It’s all about fine-tuning my command. If I can do that and get ahead of guys, I can put them away. Because the slider, tonight, was working.”
As for his fastball command, something manager Bud Black has said must improve, Gray said: “It wasn’t very good. It was OK glove side, but arm side, there were too many balls left over the plate. They should have been buried more in there.”
On the mound: Hard-throwing right-hander Jairo Diaz, likely headed to Triple-A to begin the season, pitched a perfect fifth inning, inducing three groundouts. Over five innings this spring, he’s allowed just one hit, struck out five and walked two. … First baseman Jordan Patterson, trying to show he deserves a spot on the 25-man roster, went 2-for-3 and is hitting .311. … Harrison Musgrave continued to struggle, getting ripped for four runs on five hits in just 1 1/3 innings, his ERA rising to 12.71.
At the plate: Speedy outfielder Raimel Tapia continues to state his case for a roster spot. He opened the game with a double and scored on Gerardo Parra’s double. In the fifth, Tapia walked and came around to score his second run of the game. …
Worth noting: Top prospect Brendan Rodgers, slated to begin the season at Double-A Hartford, hit his third homer, a solo shot to deep center in the ninth inning.
Up next: Angels at Rockies, 2:10 p.m. (MDT) at Salt River Fields. Angels Andrew Heanyt vs. Rockies LHP Tyler Anderson.
