MEDIA CLIPS – April 26, 2018

Rox' 3rd-inning rally backs Gray's superb start

Thomas Harding / MLB.com | April 25, 2018

DENVER -- To the Rockies' delight and the Padres' chagrin, right-hander on Wednesday afternoon turned his clock back to Sept. 17, 2016.

Gray racked up 11 while throwing 101 pitches through six innings of the Rockies' 5-2 victory, which clinched the three-game series. It was reminiscent of his Rockies and -record 16- game two seasons ago.

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It was the Rockies' first series win at Coors, where they generally have to dominate to contend because of a long tradition of road struggles. The home record improved to 5-7. They're 9-5 on the road, but will embark on their longest road trip to date -- against the Marlins, Cubs and Mets starting Friday.

And Gray -- unfailingly honest about his pluses and minuses while losing his last three starts (19 runs, 18 earned, 26 hits in 15 2/3 innings) -- was clear-eyed in his assessment: hard to hit, but not economical.

"I could have gone seven, maybe eight, if I would have been more efficient and wouldn't have wasted as many," Gray said. "But then again, I really can't complain about that. If they're not putting the ball in play, it's a way better out. I'll take it."

On Wednesday, Gray fanned the side in the first inning. He used 20 pitches to do so, but he needed just 26 more pitches to clear the first time through the order, and struck out seven of the nine.

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"I know that situation will happen again, and things will get tough again, but the more times I break through it, and the faster I do, I think it's going to help me get back on track the next time," Gray said.

After winning just one of the first four games of the just-completed homestand, the Rockies won the final two behind strong starting efforts from (seven innings, eight strikeouts in Tuesday's 8-0 victory) and Gray.

Most of Gray's support came during the third inning, when delivered a two-run triple off Padres starter Tyson

Ross (2-2) and scored on 's sacrifice fly. Dahl tripled in each of the final two games in the series.

A key Gray K came with one out in the fourth. Gray went from a 1-2 count to walk Carlos Asuaje, and yielded a Wil Myers single to put runners at first and second. Gray trailed Franchy Cordero 3-1 -- with manager barking from the dugout at plate ump Hunter Wendelstedt on the third ball. But he ended up working a swinging strikeout, then forced

Chase Headley to fly out to left to end the frame.

"That's some of the things that we've talked to Jon about -- he bent but he didn't break," Black said.

Gray established the up in the zone. Through five, according to Statcast™, he had thrown 48 that included nine called strikes and 10 swings. His slider, which had eluded him for the most part this year, he threw 21 times with six swings and misses and one called strike. He changed his grip, loosening his middle finger, and said he'd keep working on it since some pitches slipped.

His curve, which he used 18 times and coaxed six swinging strikes and a called strike, was an important change of pace.

"I feel like Jon's best games, he looks like he's having a lot of fun," said catcher Tony Wolters, who drove in two runs and snuffed two steal attempts at second base. "I told him he's an aggressive assassin, that he has fun.

"When he hears 'aggressive,' when he hears words that are not passive, I feel like it helps him."

Righty reliever Bryan Shaw (usually lefty Jake McGee would have pitched, but Black stayed away from him because of heavy recent use) walked two and threw a wild pitch while giving up a run in the seventh. Adam Ottavino, with a three-run lead, struck out two in the eighth and has fanned 26 in 13 2/3 innings.

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YOU GOTTA SEE THIS

Since being called up from Triple-A Albuquerque on Sunday, Dahl has a hit in each game and is 5-for-16 (.313). He said he would like to trim his strikeouts (eight). But Friday's triple off the extended fencing in front of the Rockies bullpen displayed the form that he showed while hitting .315 with seven homers, 12 doubles and four triples as a rookie in 63 games in 2016.

Injuries kept him out of the Majors last season, but he's hitting as if he's not planning to go back. Black using him at cleanup Wednesday, for the second time, spoke volumes.

"It makes me confident," Dahl said. "It's a good feeling being cleanup like that. I feel pretty good, just gotta cut down the

K's. But it's a very small sample. I hope I can get it going soon."

UP NEXT

Lefty (1-0, 4.32 ERA) begins a nine-game trip on Friday (5:10 p.m. MT) against the Marlins, who will start

Jose Urena (0-3, 5.88). Anderson defeated the Cubs in his last start by shaking off a rough first inning, going with fastballs over off-speed pitches, and lasting six innings (two runs, six hits). Urena is 1-1 with a 4.30 ERA in four starts against the

Rockies.

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Freeland's next start may be pushed back 1 day CarGo improving, hitting in cage; Parra to return Friday

Thomas Harding / MLB.com | April 25, 2018

DENVER -- Left-hander Kyle Freeland arrived at Coors Field on Wednesday in pain from a bruised heel he suffered during his seven scoreless innings in a victory over the Padres on Tuesday night. But by day's end, he said treatment had promoted healing and he can stay in the rotation -- with the best hope being his next start is pushed back a day.

Freeland, who struck out eight in the Rockies' second shutout of the year, 8-0, was hit by a Chase Headley liner in the fourth inning and stayed in. Manager Bud Black and Freeland each speculated that the pain in the heel actually may have helped him maintain his delivery, but it sure didn't tickle.

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"There's some swelling and we're just trying to spread out the bleeding and get it taken care of," Freeland said.

"Throughout the course of today, it's felt a lot better from where it was when I woke up this morning. So it's taking steps."

With the Rockies idle two of the next eight days, it's possible to manipulate the schedule so the club doesn't have to call up a replacement.

If the Rockies stay on rotation, Freeland's turn would be Monday against the Cubs at Wrigley Field. But righty Jon Gray, who started Wednesday afternoon's 5-2 win against the Padres, theoretically can take that start on four days' rest.

Freeland said the extra day should be enough.

The Rockies also are carrying righty , who has been throwing multiple innings out of the bullpen, and can use him in a spot-start to give Freeland extra time.

Gonzalez improving

Right fielder Carlos Gonzalez, on the 10-day disabled list with a right hamstring strain suffered last Wednesday, is

"improving," according to Black.

"He's hitting in the cage, doing a lot of strengthening exercises, so he's progressing very optimistically," Black said. "The weather has been a little dicey so we'll get him to Miami, Fla. [for a three-game series that starts Friday night], and get him on the grass." 4

Parra to greet Rockies

The four-game fighting suspension for outfielder Gerardo Parra ended Wednesday. Black said Parra has been hitting in

Miami -- where he has an offseason home -- to keep sharp and will greet the team there for the three-game series against the Marlins that starts Friday night.

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Rockies’ rotation facing big challenge as nine-game road trip looms Back-to-back quality starts by Kyle Freeland and Jon Gray has optimistic

Patrick Saunders / Denver Post | April 25, 2018

The Rockies’ upcoming road trip looms like a tough, early-season exam, especially for a starting pitching staff that has flashed potential, but also has created plenty of consternation.

Impressive starts by left-hander Kyle Freeland Tuesday night in a 8-0 win over San Diego, followed by right-hander Jon

Gray‘s powerful, 11-strikeout performance over the Padres in a 5-2 victory Wednesday at Coors Field, gives the Rockies something to build on as they head east.

“We have a good chance to be at the top, with all of the rest of the high-end rotations,” said Freeland, who pitched seven scoreless innings of three-hit ball on Tuesday, striking out eight. “We have the tools to do it, and we have the mentality to do it. It’s just a matter of going out there with the mentality that no one is going to beat us.”

The test begins Friday, starting at Miami’s Marlins Park, where the Rockies are just 6-15 all-time and struggle to hit. Then it’s on to Chicago to face a Cubs team that is considered a World Series contender and recently took two-of-three from

Colorado at Coors Field. The trip concludes in New York where the Rockies take on the surprising Mets, who are off to a

15-6 start.

Although the Rockies’ offense is showing signs of emerging from its funk — thanks in part to the recent infusion of outfielder David Dahl into the lineup and the hot bat of shortstop Trevor Story — it is starting pitching that must set the tone on the road.

Right now, however, the Rockies’ rotation still gets rocked more often than it rolls. The starters’ 4.45 ERA ranks 11th in the National League, while the 1.40 WHIP (walk and hits per ) also ranks 11th. Right-hander German

Marquez, expected to make a big leap forward this season, is off to a difficult start: 1-2 with a 6.14 ERA after five starts

Gray, who snapped a career-worst, three-game losing streak Wednesday, believes he’s turned the corner, even though his record stands at 2-4 with a 5.79 ERA.

“I know I need to be a little bit sharper with my stuff, but I believe it’s on the way right now,” said Gray who was lifted after six innings because he’d thrown 101 pitches. “I’m just going to continue to work and let it come.”

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Gray has the tools to be a front-of-the-rotation , and Wednesday’s performance was reminiscent of his Sept. 17,

2016 start against San Diego when he set a franchise record by striking out 16 and allowing just four hits in his first career shutout. He wasn’t as sharp Wednesday, mostly because he’s still trying to find comfort with a new grip on his slider. But his fastball was humming and his curve confounded Padres hitters.

“The early fastball aggressiveness I liked, and he probably had a better than a slider,” manager Bud Black said.

“The fastball, with velocity, and the slider, are probably Jon’s signature pitches. But today, the curveball was the better of the two.”

Gray struck out the side to begin the game, whiffing Jose Pierla on a 96 mph fastball up around the letters, then getting

Carlos Asuaje with another fastball up in the zone. He completed the hat trick by setting up the dangerous Wil Meyers with five fastballs before striking him out with an 88 mph slider.

“I love pitching at the top of the zone,” Gray said. “If I can really pitch inside and up in the zone, then it’s really going to be a good day.”

Footnotes. Freeland, who caught a line drive in his left heel Tuesday night, was limping Wednesday, but he said he expects to make his next start. “It’s pretty sore and bruised, but I got a lot of treatment today and I feel a lot better. We’ll see how it goes, but I anticipate pitching my next turn. … Outfielder Carlos Gonzalez is “making progress,” according to

Black. Gonzalez has been on the 10-day disabled list since straining his right hamstring while making a catch last

Wednesday. “CarGo is hitting in the cage, doing a lot of strengthening exercises, so he’s progressing very optimistically,”

Black said.

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Jon Gray strikes out 11 as Rockies beat Padres to take three-game series

Patrick Saunders / Denver Post | April 25, 2018

Jon Gray can stop beating himself up now.

The Rockies’ right-hander is a harsh self-critic, and his last three starts left him with plenty of reasons to gripe. But Gray put all that misery behind him Wednesday afternoon by pitching a six-inning gem as Colorado beat San Diego 5-2 at sunny Coors Field. The victory clinched the three-game series for the Rockies, giving them their first series win at Coors

Field in four tries this season.

Gray struck out 11 and allowed just three hits and one walk. It was his ninth career game with at least 10 strikeouts, and four of those have come against the Padres.

The big blow for the Rockies was right fielder David Dahl‘s two-run triple off Tyson Ross in Colorado’s three-run third inning. Dahl trotted home on Trevor Story‘s sacrifice fly to center. Dahl is batting .313 (for-for-16) with at least one hit in each of his four games since getting called up from Triple-A.

Colorado scored the game’s first run in the second on singles by Story, Ryan McMahon and Tony Wolters, who steered an opposite-field hit to left to score Story. Wolters added a sacrifice fly in the eighth.

Early on, it appeared that Gray might challenge his Sept. 17, 2016 game against the Padres when he set a franchise record with 16 strikeouts en route to a complete-game, four-hit shutout. Wednesday, Gray, cutting loose with his fastball high in the zone, had seven strikeouts in the first three innings. However, his pitch count began to climb and he had thrown 101 pitches by the end of the sixth, prompting manager Bud Black to remove him.

Entering the day, Gray was 0-3 with a 10.34 ERA over his last three starts, the worst stretch of his big-league career.

Colorado lost its shutout bid in the seventh because of reliever Bryan Shaw’s wildness. He walked Franchy Cordero and

Chase Headley and uncorked a wild pitch, setting up Manuel Margot’s sacrifice fly. Adam Ottavino struck out two in the eighth, but Wade Davis Davis struggled a bit — giving up a double to Wil Myers that led to a run — before closing out the game.

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The Rockies are off on Thursday before beginning a nine-game, 10-day road trip to face Miami, the and the .

Looking ahead

Thursday: Off day

Friday: Rockies LHP Tyler Anderson (1-0, 4.32 ERA) vs. Marlins RHP Jose Urena (0-3, 5.88), 5:10 p.m., ATTRM

Saturday: Rockies RHP German Marquez (1-2, 6.14) vs. Marlins LHP Caleb Smith (0-3, 5.82), 5:10 p.m., ATTRM

Sunday: Rockies RHP Chad Bettis (3-0, 2.40) vs. LHP Jarlin Garcia (1-0, 1.00), 11:10 a.m. ATTRM

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The Morning After: Shot to heel hurts so good for ’ Kyle Freeland Broncos’ Von Miller make a visit to Coors Field

Patrick Saunders / Denver Post | April 25, 2018

Late Tuesday night, the joke in the Rockies’ training room after their 8-0 win over the Padres was that someone should take a bat to Kyle Freeland’s left heel before he makes his next start.

That’s because, according to manager Bud Black, Freeland actually started pitching better after San Diego’s Chase

Headly smashed a ball off Freeland’s heel in the fourth inning.

Said Black:

“This might seem a little odd, but after he got hit in the heel — that was a direct blow — he’s sore. But after he fought through the (fourth) and he was in a little bit of discomfort, I told him that helped his delivery.

“It smoothed him out. He didn’t overthrow, and I thought he made better pitches after he got hit in the heel. I’ve seen that before. I think his focus might have been heightened because he was in a little bit of discomfort. But it didn’t affect his mechanics and I think it slowed him down a touch. He pitched great.”

Great as in pitching seven scoreless innings of three-hit ball with eight strikeouts and only two walks.

Freeland said he was sore, but he said he would be ready for his next start.

“Bud told me my mechanics were much more clean as the game wore on after I got hit,” Freeland said. “I guess you can attribute that to me thinking more about my heel than my mechanics.”

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Rockies 5, Padres 2: Jon Gray and David Dahl carry Colorado to series win Gray struck out 11 and Dahl tripled in two

Eric Garcia McKinley / Purple Row | April 25, 2018

It seems like the Padres have been an unexpected thorn in the Rockies’ side early this season. And, in fact, San Diego has played well against the Rockies. But after Wednesday afternoon’s 5-2 win against the Padres, the Rockies have won

6 of 10 contests against San Diego. It’s hard to call that anything other than a success.

Maybe Jon Gray will be okay

Gray has had legitimate struggles this season, but I don’t think there was really ever a doubt that he’s clearly the Rockies’ best starter. Gray showed why today with his best start of the season. He struck out 11 Padres, walked one, and gave up just three hits, all singles, in six scoreless innings. More of that please.

David Dahl continues making his case

While Dahl had just one hit in four tries, that hit was a triple that drove in two runs. The young outfielder is going to make it hard for the Rockies when Carlos González returns from the disabled list. Given his growing comfort at the plate and solid outfield defense, it will be very hard for the Rockies to option him back to Triple-A, but it will also be hard to fit him in to an even more crowded outfield. In the business, they call this a developing story.

Adam Ottavino update

Ottavino pitched an inning and struck a couple batters out. Now, almost a month in to the season, Ottavino has...

• struck out 26 of 45 batters faced (58%)

• a 17.2 K/9

• allowed two hits

• not yet allowed a run allowed just one run

This is fun. Looking ahead: The Rockies are off on Thursday. The 14-12 Rockies will start start a nine-game road trip against the Marlins, Cubs, and Mets on Friday.

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Colorado Rockies: Looking back on the Corey Dickerson trade

David Sharp / Rox Pile | April 26, 2018

In January of 2016, the Colorado Rockies traded their young slugger Corey Dickerson to the Tampa Bay Rays for Jake

McGee, with two minor leaguers trading hands as well. The move at the time was roundly criticized by the Rockies fan base, including one commentator that said it demonstrated how “out of touch the Rockies are with reality.” Looking back as we start the third season after the trade, it’s safe to say that Rox fans may have a slightly different take on the deal now.

The Trade

At the time, the Rockies were coming off a 71-91 season and had just signed outfielder Gerardo Parra – another move that mystified fans at the time. Parra was yet another outfielder – and a lefty hitter at that – when the Rockies already had too many of both of those.

Charlie Blackmon and Carlos Gonzalez had locks on two out of three outfield spots, and there were also top prospects David Dahl and ready to fight with Dickerson and Parra for playing time, and Dahl and Tapia are both left-handed hitters. Throw into the mix righties Brandon Barnesand Ryan Raburn and there just weren’t a lot of at bats to go around.

It was clear that someone had to go, and that someone was Dickerson. He was coming off an injury-riddled 2015 that saw him hit the DL three times with a combination of plantar fascitis and fractured ribs. Despite only getting 234 at bats,

Dickerson was still able to be a productive hitter, slashing .304/.333/.536 for an OPS+ of 106. His 2014 had been even better as he worked his way to a .312/.364/.567 line and a 141 OPS+ in 468 at bats.

Dickerson’s hitting was never the question. The real issue was could he handle the spacious outfield in Coors Field defensively. Pitching in Coors is hard enough with competent fielders and Dickerson had just posted a negative fielding

WAR for the third year in a row. Parra, by comparison was a former Gold Glover that had posted a defensive WAR of 3.6 as recently as 2013. Though his ’14 and ’15 metrics weren’t as positive (and his ’16 numbers would be abysmal), Parra was still regarded as a significant upgrade in the field.

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As much as good defense benefits a pitching staff, actually having good can help too – however, good pitchers tended to avoid Coors like it was a staph infection. The ghosts of and Denny Neagle haunted all attempts to sign top pitchers outright, so the Rockies have generally had to trade for any pitching talent that came their way.

In this sense, swapping Dickerson for McGee, a hard throwing strikeout artist that had posted four straight productive seasons, made perfect sense. McGee was coming off an excellent 2015, where he posted a 2.41 ERA and 48 strikeouts in 37.1 innings and an even better 2014 where he struck out 90 in 71.1 innings. The Rockies were trading from a place of depth to shore up one of their main weaknesses in a move that actually precipitated the bullpen revolution of the coming years.

The Throw-Ins

And then there’s the matter of those minor leaguers. Colorado sent third base prospect Kevin Padloto Tampa Bay in exchange for a raw pitcher named German Marquez. In 2017, Padlo posted a .223/.324/.391 slash line for Tampa Bay’s

High-A team, while Marquez just finished up a stellar rookie year for the Rockies. While his 4.39 ERA in 162 innings might not leap off the page at you, when put through the Coors filter, it’s actually pretty darn impressive. His ERA+, which takes his demanding home environment into account, was a robust 113 with a very solid 3/1 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Since leaving the Rockies, Dickerson has done what he’s always done: hit. He had a solid 2016 with the bat, hitting 24 homers and posting a 106 OPS+ before busting out in 2017 with 27 homers, an OPS+ of 121, and his first All-Star game invitation. Despite his usual porous defense, Dickerson accumulated 4.2 total WAR with Tampa Bay before being unceremoniously DFA’d this offseason and shipped to Pittsburgh in a cost-saving move for the rebuilding franchise.

Marquez and McGee combined for 5.0 WAR in the two years since the trade, and both of them are still with the team.

Marquez won’t be a free agent until 2023 and is only making $550,000 this season, so there’s no telling what his final

WAR with the team will be, but it’s sure to be higher than the 3.6 WAR that he’s accumulated so far.

The Result

McGee’s contract finally expired at the end of last season, but then a funny thing happened: he re-signed with the

Rockies. McGee saw that the place that no pitcher wants to come is actually not a bad place to stay – and in a sense that may be the real value of this trade.

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McGee has helped to conquer some of the Coors demons that have plagued pitchers since baseball came to Colorado and his success has been part of convincing other players, like star relievers Wade Davis and Brian Shaw, to take the

Coors Field challenge.

Dickerson is off to an excellent start with his new ballclub as he has a slashline, entering Wednesday, of .303/.333/.461 with one homer and 12 RBI as well as seven doubles and 10 runsand it will be fun getting to see him again now that he’s back in the NL. On the other hand, there is no DH slot with which to hide his defense, so Pittsburgh is going to have to take the good with the bad.

Meanwhile in Denver, the Rockies are coming off their first postseason berth in a decade, fueled in large part by the arms brought in by a trade that doesn’t look so out of touch today.

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Colorado Rockies: Ryan McMahon discusses early season slump

Brandon Ewing / Rox Pile | April 26, 2018

Colorado Rockies rookie Ryan McMahon hasn’t had the best start to the 2018 season, but the former second-round pick is hoping (and working) to snap out of his slump sooner rather than later.

When the Rockies selected Ryan McMahon with the 42nd pick in the 2013 amateur draft, they were hoping to now have their third baseman of the future. The Rockies didn’t quite know what they had in Nolan Arenado, but the franchise quickly realized that the third base position would be covered for many years to come.

During his time in Double-A with the Hartfords Yard Goats, and in Triple-A with the , McMahon has grown into the Rockies version of the Swiss army knife. McMahon has learned to play not just third, but first base and second base as well. In his time with the Isotopes last season, McMahon started 36 games at first, 24 games at second, and just 13 games at first. So far in the 2018 season, McMahon has played in 15 games for the Rockies, with 11 off those games coming at first and four of those games coming at third. McMahon’s time spent at the hot corner was during the time when Arenado was serving his five-game suspension for his “scuffle” with the San Diego Padres.

Something McMahon proved last season in Triple-A was that he could hit. McMahon hit for an average of .374 last season and slugged 14 home runs to go along with his 56 RBI. This earned McMahon a September call-up where he posted a .158 batting average in just 24 plate appearances.

So far, however, McMahon’s 2018 campaign hasn’t started great at the plate. After earning an roster spot,

McMahon is hitting just .133 in 45 at-bats so far this season. The slump hasn’t rattled McMahon though, and he’s destined to snap out of it sooner rather than later.

“Yeah, you go through it before,” McMahon told Rox Pile’s Jake Shapiro in an exclusive interview. “I know I’m going to get out of it sooner or later. I’m just trying work at it and figure it out so I can get over it as quickly as possible.”

The quicker the better for a Rockies team that’s looking for a spark in their lineup from anyone not named Arenado,

Blackmon, Story or LeMahieu. McMahon could be that spark and he’s certainly had the opportunity with plenty of plate appearances in the early parts of the season. In order for McMahon to get back to the player he was at the plate last season, it might be just more consistency.

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“Yeah a little bit. Still working on some things, trying to get back to doing some things that I do well. I haven’t been doing those very consistently. But, yeah I’m feeling better. I feel like I’m making strides.”

Luckily for McMahon, he has a number of veterans in the Rockies clubhouse who can be leaned upon for guidance.

McMahon leaned heavily on former Rockies catcher Jonathan Lucroy last season for guidance, and it’s something he’s trying to emulate this season with a couple of different teammates.

“Not anybody like constantly. I’ve talked to Nolan, talked to Desmond, talked to Charlie and they all do their thing. You know you’re trying to take tidbits from them, But, I swing different from all those guys, they all swing different then me, and they all swing different from each other. So, I’m not picking anybody’s brain too hard, but I’m definitely listening.”

If McMahon is able to follow in any of those guys footsteps, then the Rockies could be in for a spark when #24’s bat finally gets hot. The Rockies aren’t asking McMahon to be the bonafide slugger he was in Triple-A last season. They just want him to be a consistent piece in their lineup who can contribute day in and day out. One thing is for sure though, and it’s that McMahon would love to stay up with the Rockies for the rest of the career, and hopefully avoid any more of those minor league bus trips in the process.

“Oh yeah, it’s way better than the minor leagues. No more bus trips.”

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Jon Gray looks like an ace to deliver first home series win

Drew Creasman / BSN Denver | April 26, 2018

DENVER – The Colorado Rockies have been treading water so far in 2018. They haven’t played many complete games where they’ve shown quality pitching, hitting, and defense. And yet, they found themselves just over .500 coming into

Wednesday afternoon’s rubber match with the San Diego Padres.

Searching for their first home series win and their first back-to-back solid pitching performances, the Rockies got both thanks to utter domination by a guy who absolutely needed to remind himself that this is who he is.

Jon Gray was nothing short of exquisite in a 5-2 win.

A few foul balls and a handful of potentially unnecessary waste pitches meant he had to top out at six innings, but with 11 strikeouts to just one walk and only three hits—all of them singles—this is just what the doctor ordered for the young man with the talent to be an ace in this league.

The Rockies got on the board in the second with a trio of singles from Trevor Story, Ryan McMahon, and Tony Wolters.

The ball Wolters went up to get for his RBI might have been about even with his eyes, but he gently lined it into left field to put his team ahead.

They added in the third when cleanup hitter (versus righties) David Dahl made Tyson Ross pay for walking Charlie

Blackmon and Nolan Arenado to start the frame. Dahl got a hanging breaking ball and smashed it off the Bridich Barrier in right field for his second triple in as many games, scoring both runners. He scored on a sac fly to deep center off the bat of Trevor Story to put Colorado ahead 4-0.

Gray kept it on cruise control, striking out nine of the first 11 outs he recorded and not allowing a single extra-base hit. The only real jam he experienced came in the fourth with a one-out walk and single—the only time a runner would reach second against him—but this time he conquered the potential trouble frame with a strikeout of Franchy Cordero and a fly out to shallow left.

But with the pitch count over 100 (101) and his spot due up in the order, Gray would have to hand the ball over to the bullpen after six. 17

The Padres immediately broke up the shutout against Bryan Shaw who walked a pair of batters, then unleashed a wild pitch, allowing one to score on a sac fly, but he kept the damage limited to that.

Adam Ottavino came on in the eighth and did issue a walk but was as unhittable as he has been all season, striking out a pair to keep the three-run lead intact.

Colorado got an insurance run in the top of the ninth on a couple of singles from and Ryan McMahon, and a sac fly from Wolters.

Wade Davis got the call in the bottom of the ninth despite it no longer being a save situation. He gave up a lead-off double to Wil Myers then uncorked a wild pitch. He struck out Cordero but Chase Headley got the groundball to score the run. It looked like Arenado both could have, and wanted to, throw the runner out at home, but he made the smart play to get the easy out at first. He struck out Manuel Margot to end it.

Without getting a single RBI from the offensive players that have had to carry the team so often—Arenado, Blackmon, and

DJ LeMahieu—the Rockies were able to get a comfortable and confidence-boosting win to move to 14-12 on the year and secure their first series win at Coors Field.

FINAL STATS:

Jon Gray: 6 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 11 K Bryan Shaw: 1 IP, 0 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, K Adam Ottavino: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K Wade Davis: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 2 K

David Dahl: 1-for-4, 1 R, 2 RBI Trevor Story: 1-for-3, R, RBI Tony Wolters: 2-for-3, 2 RBI : 1-for-3, R, BB Ryan McMahon: 2-for-2, 2 BB

WHAT’S NEXT:

The Rockies are off for a three-team road trip to see the Chicago Cubs and New York Mets after taking on the Miami

Marlins for three. Tyler Anderson will get the ball in Game 1 against Jose Urena. First pitch at 5:10 Mountain Time.

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Rockies defeat Padres behind strong outing from Jon Gray

Aniello Piro / Mile High Sports | April 25, 2018

The Colorado Rockies defeated the San Diego Padres Wednesday afternoon at Coors Field 5-2 behind a dominant outing from Jon Gray.

Gray entered Wednesday in need of a deep outing as he’s struggled out of the gate in 2018. Over his previous three starts, Gray was 0-3 with an ERA of 10.34, but had a strong showing on the mound against San Diego — logging six scoreless innings, allowing three hits while striking out 11 batters.

The Rockies scored quickly once again, netting their first run of the game in the second inning after stringing together a couple of hits. Shortstop Trevor Story reached base on an infield single to leadoff the inning. Story advanced to third on a single hit to right field by Ryan McMahon, then scored on an RBI single to left field hit by catcher Tony Wolters.

Colorado added three runs in the second inning. After Padres starter Tyson Ross issued back-to-back walks to Charlie

Blackmon and Nolan Arenado to begin the inning, outfielder David Dahl, who joined the team over the weekend, ripped a triple to deep right field, scoring two runs. From there, Story hit a sacrifice fly to score Dahl and give the Rockies a 4-0 lead.

Dahl has helped provide offense for Colorado since being called-up, owning a batting average of .313 while being inserted into the heart of the Rockies lineup, as he hit fourth Wednesday.

The Padres lone run of the afternoon came in the seventh inning when Manuel Margot hit a sacrifice fly to center field scoring Franchy Cordero off the arm of Bryan Shaw.

Colorado managed to get the run back as they added a run in the bottom of the 8th inning when Wolters hit a sacrifice fly to score Ian Desmond.

Closer Wade Davis surrendered a run in the 9th inning, but no more as he proceeded to secure the win for Colorado.

The victory crowned the Rockies victors in their three-game set against the Padres and bumped their record up to 14-12 on the season. Colorado finished their six-game homestand with a record of 3-3

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NEXT UP:

The Rockies are off Thursday before starting a three-game series in Miami against the Marlins on Friday. Tyler

Anderson is scheduled to square off against Jose Urena with first pitch set for 5:10 MST.

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Proud To Be: Jenny Cavnar the latest CSU grad to break down barriers in sports

Rich Kurtzman / Mile High Sports | April 25, 2018

From coast to coast, Colorado State Alumni are making many “Proud To Be.” Specifically, women alumni of CSU who continue to smash through the glass ceilings presented in the world of male-dominated sports media.

On Monday night, Jenny Cavnar became among the first women ever to call play-by-play for an MLB broadcast.

“Fire up the fountains!” Cavnar, who’s covered the MLB for 12 years, also became the second-ever woman to color commentate a game on the radio in 2015.

“I got the chance to call a game at and knew it would come up during the year when Drew (Goodman) took off to be with his team he is coaching,” Cavnar explained. “I feel like my experience of covering for the last 12 years helped me earn a place to have the opportunity and such support from all my colleagues at ATTSN.”

She’s earned it every step of the way, just like the many women who work in the sports field have done.

Cavnar’s roots in sports go back to being a child, when her father was a high school baseball and eventually elected to the High School Baseball Hall of Fame. At Colorado State university, when Cavnar attended from 2000-2004, both as a club lacrosse player and as she got involved in student media.

Cavnar is rightfully being nationally recognized this week for breaking that barrier for the second time – Gayle Gardner was the first woman to call an MLB game as the play-by-play announcer, a Rockies game nonetheless, in 1993 — and she’s simultaneously inspiring many women.

“I feel empowered by Jenny’s determination and I hope women all across the country do too,” said Taylor McGregor, who is an AT&T Sportsnet broadcaster covering the Rockies with Cavnar. “I couldn’t feel more grateful to learn from someone like her. She’s a true pro and got to where she is because of her work ethic, intelligence and respect for all people. I look up to her for the way she handles herself professionally and personally.”

Jenny is hardly the only woman alumna of CSU to make an impact on the sports media world.

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Maybe the most recognizable CSU alum in the sporting world is Becky Hammon, arguably the greatest basketball player in school history, male or female.

During her breakthrough play-by-play call, Cavnar explained, “I thought about Becky a lot and the amazing things she accomplishes daily by being a pioneer in NBA coaching and a great role model and Ram.”

Hammon played at Colorado State from 1995-1999 and took the women’s basketball team to never before realized heights, being named an All-American three times before playing for 15 years professionally, as part of the WNBA and overseas. She was named a Top 15 WNBA player all-time in 2011, and then, in 2014, broke through to the NBA.

Becky Hammon became the first-ever, full-time, female NBA assistant coach in 2014, and while some fans hoped she could become the next CSU men’s basketball head coach, many believe she’s on her way to being the first female head coach in NBA history.

The NBA has led the way among the four major professional sports when it comes to gender equality, or at least, a move in that direction. They were the first league to include women as officials, the first woman as executive director of the NBA

Player’s Association, and the first woman in a team’s front office. Now, the MLB – with Cavnar calling the Rockies game

Monday and Haley Alvarez on track to becoming that league’s first female GM — is following this same path.

While the NBA’s revolution began in 2014, the NFL is just starting to see women earn high-profile positions in the male- dominated league. In 2017, Samantha Rapoport was named the NFL’s director of football development, and according to the Sporting News in that year, 55 women are working for teams in football operations.

Look to the NFL and you’ll find another Colorado State alumnus in Olivia Landis, who currently works for the New York

Jets as a reporter and producer, regularly interviewing players as well as celebrities in the Big Apple.

“As a woman, it’s no secret that we are already not respected quite as much as our male counterparts by everyone when it comes to sports,” Landis, a 2017 CSU alumnus explained.

“Knowing my passion and that I wanted to be in sports broadcasting since I was young, I knew I needed to work my ass of when I got to college. And that’s what I did. I had multiple internships, worked up to three jobs on top of school, and was

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the sports producer/anchor, and reporter at our college TV station. I think my work ethic is what pushed me so far and got me noticed.”

Sometimes, women have to work even harder than men in the field to prove their worth. It takes a strong determination — a trait common to all the women profiled here — to make it in the sports media world.

At Colorado State, Landis was roommates with Abbie Parr, who’s recently burst onto the scene as a world-class photographer, shooting pictures first for CSU Athletics and the Collegian, and now, in the big leagues. She’s been to the

American League Divisional Series in the MLB, the US Open of Tennis, the NFL, NHL, NBA and more.

“My big ‘I made it’ moment was when I found out I got my internship with Getty Images Sports in New York City,” Parr said in an interview explaining Landis was an inspiration to her, just as Hammon has been to Cavnar.

Still, it’s not always been easy as a woman on the sidelines, competing with men for position.

“People don’t realize how intimidating it is being a female in the sports industry. It can be brutal,” Parr explained. “You’re always a target at events with new photographers you’ve never met before and haven’t gotten the opportunity to earn their respect from. I’ve learned from my internship to stand up for myself and always know that I deserve to be at these events just as much as the person trying to take advantage of me.”

Even as we finally approach equality in the world of sports — which is still monopolized by men — backlash for these women isn’t uncommon. Whether it be behind the scenes or in public, on social media. Even if they are in the vast minority, the “anti-women-in-sports” crowd drew attention Monday night when the Rockies official Twitter profile “clapped back” on them.

In fact, this entire piece — highlighting women in the field of sports media — was written, in part, to open the eyes of those who believe women have no place in sports. They undoubtedly do.

To those who are stuck in the dark ages – and yet somehow can use the Internet – sit down, be humble, and realize these women have worked incredibly hard to achieve their positions.

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Considering how hard they’ve worked, and all the struggles they’ve fought through, every time Jenny Cavnar, Olivia

Landis, Abbie Parr, Becky Hammon or the many unnamed CSU women alumni are excelling, it just makes me even more

“Proud to Be.”

Note: Taylor McGregor began covering the Rockies for AT&T Sportsnet this year, but she’s connected to Colorado State

University, too. Her father, Keli McGregor, was a tight end for the Rams in the 1980s and went onto become the President of the Rockies. Listen to Taylor talk about her dad and his battle with CTE on the CSU Rams Cast here.

Photo Credit: The Colorado Rockies.

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Gray strikes out 11 to help Rockies beat Padres 5-2

Associated Press / ESPN.com | April 25, 2018

DENVER -- Jon Gray altered the grip on his slider and set his aim higher in the strike zone.

It added up to a big change in fortune.

The hard-throwing righty struck out 11 in six dominant innings and David Dahl lined a two-run triple, lifting the Colorado

Rockies to a 5-2 win over the San Diego Padres on Wednesday.

Gray (2-4) had pinpoint control in scattering three hits and walking one to break his three-game slide. He had at least one strikeout in every inning before being lifted for a pinch-hitter after throwing 101 pitches.

For this, he credits a tweak to his slider -- he's using the index finger to create more spin -- and a decision to own the top part of the zone. Gray was letting his fastball fly as his long, blond hair flew in every direction.

"I feel like Jon's best games, it looks like he's having a lot of fun," catcher Tony Wolters said. "I told him he's an aggressive assassin that has fun."

Reliever Bryan Shaw allowed a run in the seventh and Wade Davis another during a shaky ninth in a nonsave situation.

But Davis fanned Manuel Margotto end the game and help the Rockies take two of three from San Diego. It was their first home series win of the season.

This game turned into a strikeout-fest, though, with the teams fanning a combined 27 times.

Tyson Ross (2-2) allowed four runs in four innings and struck out seven as he dropped to 0-6 lifetime at Coors Field. He didn't have the same sort of stuff as his last start, when he took a no-hitter into the eighth inning at Arizona.

"Pitches were at a premium for him today," Padres manager Andy Green said. "Obviously after four that was enough. I think he did enough to keep us in the ball game. We just didn't do anything offensively."

Dahl provided the big blow at the plate with a triple off the wall during a three-run third that gave Colorado an early 4-0 cushion. That was more than enough support for Gray, who's been struggling with his rhythm. He entered the game allowing 18 earned runs over his three-game skid.

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He found his groove early, striking out Jose Pirela to start the game. Two batters later, a fan interfered with first baseman Ryan McMahon trying to catch Wil Myers' foul ball near the stands. Gray quickly regrouped after the fan got the souvenir and promptly struck out Myers.

Gray found himself in a one-out, two-on jam in the fourth. After Franchy Cordero struck out, Chase Headley flied out to end the threat.

"That was really good to see," manager Bud Black said. "He bent, but he didn't break. "

Gray's commanding performance follows on the heels of Kyle Freeland's outing a night earlier, when the lefty threw seven sizzling innings in an 8-0 win.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Padres: 3B Christian Villanueva was out of the starting lineup for a third straight game with hamstring tightness.

Rockies: Freeland remains sore after taking a liner off his left heel in Tuesday's win. "Hopefully he'll be ready for his next start," Black said. ... OF Carlos Gonzalez (strained right hamstring) began hitting in the cage.

SCOUTING EXPEDITION?

Rockies outfielder Gerardo Parra is in Miami as he serves a four-game suspension for his role in a brawl against the

Padres two weeks ago.

"He's scouting," Black said.

Actually, the Marlins are in Los Angeles playing the Dodgers.

"He has people there," Black said. "He's hitting in Miami."

WOLTERS DAY

Wolters drove in a run with a single and another on a sacrifice fly. He also threw out two runners at second.

"I love throwing guys out," Wolters said.

GRAY MATTERS

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Myers was impressed with Gray's location.

"Today was just one of those days that he was just on and locating his pitches well," said Myers, who had one of the three hits off Gray and a double in the ninth off Davis.

UP NEXT

Padres: After a day off, LHP Clayton Richard (1-2, 5.67 ERA) takes the mound Friday for a three-game series against the New York Mets, who will throw RHP Jacob deGrom (2-0, 2.53).

Rockies: Travel to Miami for a three-game series that starts Friday. LHP Tyler Anderson (1-0, 4.32) goes for the Rockies and RHP Jose Urena (0-3, 5.88) for the Marlins.

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