Jon Gray impresses in second start with Colorado Rockies

Take away one mistake — a second-inning fastball that Travis d’Arnaud put in the seats — and Jon Gray would’ve exited his second MLB start without allowing a single hit.

But even so, the former third-overall pick was pretty fantastic.

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In the New York City spotlight at Citi Field against a surging Mets team, Gray was, as Stuart Scott would say, “cool as the other side of the pillow” for the Colorado Rockies on Monday night. Outside of the home run, the Oklahoma product issued just two walks and struck out five Mets batters. Had Justin Miller not given up three runs in relief, Gray would’ve easily picked up his first big-league win, but New York walked away with a 4-2 victory.

While Gray didn’t get that win, he did give the Rockies plenty to be excited about moving forward. His fastball topped out at 98 MPH, a 10 MPH difference from his changeup and slider that both sat in the high 80’s. After a 33-pitch first inning in his major-league debut against Seattle, he would need just 34 pitches to get through four innings this time around.

If he’s going to be successful in a Rockies uniform, Gray will have to demonstrate he can put up somewhat similar performances at Coors Field. He has yet to do that in his short stint in the majors, though won’t have to do too much to be one of the better pitchers the Colorado franchise has seen. That being said, the Rockies won’t compete without pitching, and a successful Gray is will be a key part of getting Colorado into the mix competing with the rest of the West in 2016.

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