DENVER -- His early career struggles behind him, Jon Gray is answering the call as the Colorado Rockies' ace.
Gray pitched seven strong innings, Nolan Arenado and Trevor Story hit two-run homers off relievers after starter Julio Teheran left because of an injury, and the Rockies beat the Atlanta Braves 4-3 on Friday night.
Gray (6-4) shut down the Braves after allowing a run in the first inning, finishing with eight strikeouts in helping the Rockies hand the Braves their eighth straight loss at Coors Field.
"He's really pitching like an ace and the future's bright with him on the mound, no doubt," Arenado said. "His intensity has been up there. He expects to win. He expects to get guys out. He bears down and it's been really impressive to watch him pitch lately."
The Rockies' first-round draft pick out of Oklahoma in 2013, Gray went without a win in his first 13 starts -- the longest streak at the start of a career in team history. Since then, though, he has gone 6-3 with a 3.77 ERA over 13 starts since earning his first victory May 13.
"His slider has been a difference-maker this year," Rockies manager Wat Weiss said. "It's really sharp."
Gray said he has become more sure of himsef on the mound, drawing on a mix of fastballs, curves, and sliders.
"My confidence is building and I'm looking to build it more," he said.
The Braves, meanwhile, were dealing with health questions about Teheran, who left the game after facing one batter in the fifth with what the team said was right lat tightness. His status was described as day to day.
"Let's hope it's nothing big," Braves interim manager Brian Snitker said. "He had a look on his face of, `I'd like to try it.' You want to keep going and then you end up screwing it up for weeks. They checked him out. Did everything, but felt they'd get a better read (Saturday)."
Teheran left after trying to run down Mark Reynolds' infield hit, though the pitcher said he may have tweaked the muscle throwing a pitch in the previous inning.
"I was feeling a little discomfort and there was some pain," he said. "I decided to come out of the game. I didn't want to make it worse."
Teheran walked off the field under his own power and was relieved by Joel De La Cruz.
Trailing 1-0 in the sixth, the Rockies went in front behind a four-run burst. DJ LeMahieu started the sixth with a walk and Arenado, coming off a scheduled rest day Thursday, drove a 2-2 offering from De La Cruz (0-3) into the bleachers in left-center field for his 24th home run.
Dario Alvarez relieved and Carlos Gonzalez singled ahead of the home run by Story. The Rockies' rookie has 24 homers.
Jace Peterson connected for a two-run homer off Jason Motte in the eighth, pulling the Braves within a run.
Carlos Estevez allowed a double to Adonis Garcia and walked Ender Inciarte to start the ninth. The runners advanced on a sacrifice and Erick Aybar walked to load the bases before Estevez recovered to get Chase d'Arnaud on a popup and strike out Peterson for his eighth save in 11 chances.
Braves pitchers picked off two baserunners, costing the Rockies scoring opportunities.
Charlie Blackmon singled to lead off the game, extending his hitting streak to 14 games. He stole second but Teheran got him out with a pickoff throw from the mound, allowing the Braves pitcher to withstand Arenado's two-out triple unscathed by getting Gonzalez to ground out.
In the fifth, De La Cruz, who had just relieved Teheran, made his first throw from the mound to first base and Freddie Freeman tagged a diving Mark Reynolds before he could get his hand back on the bag. Nick Hundley followed with a double and was stranded at third when Blackmon flied out to end the inning.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Braves: RHP Shea Simmons, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery, was slated to make his first rehab appearance on Saturday for the Gulf Coast Rookie League Braves. He's expected to throw one inning. ... RHP Dan Winkler, in the midst of a comeback from a right elbow fracture, threw on the side Friday and provided there are no setbacks, team officials could put together a minor league rehab schedule for him.
Rockies: LF Gerardo Parra, sidelined since mid-June because of a sprained left ankle, is stepping up his conditioning workouts and could soon begin a rehab assignment. ... LHP Chris Rusin, placed on the 15-day DL in early June with a left shoulder strain, is nearing a return. He's expected to be re-evaluated by training staff after a scheduled rehab assignment on Sunday.
UP NEXT
Braves: RHP Matt Wisler (4-9) has been hurt recently by the home run ball, especially on the road, where he has allowed at least two homers in each of his past three starts away from home.
Rockies: LHP Tyler Anderson (2-3) has won two starts since dropping his first three career decisions.
Atlanta Braves
Gray pitched seven strong innings, Nolan Arenado and Trevor Story hit two-run homers off relievers after starter Julio Teheran left because of an injury, and the Rockies beat the Atlanta Braves 4-3 on Friday night.
Gray (6-4) shut down the Braves after allowing a run in the first inning, finishing with eight strikeouts in helping the Rockies hand the Braves their eighth straight loss at Coors Field.
"He's really pitching like an ace and the future's bright with him on the mound, no doubt," Arenado said. "His intensity has been up there. He expects to win. He expects to get guys out. He bears down and it's been really impressive to watch him pitch lately."
The Rockies' first-round draft pick out of Oklahoma in 2013, Gray went without a win in his first 13 starts -- the longest streak at the start of a career in team history. Since then, though, he has gone 6-3 with a 3.77 ERA over 13 starts since earning his first victory May 13.
"His slider has been a difference-maker this year," Rockies manager Wat Weiss said. "It's really sharp."
Gray said he has become more sure of himsef on the mound, drawing on a mix of fastballs, curves, and sliders.
"My confidence is building and I'm looking to build it more," he said.
The Braves, meanwhile, were dealing with health questions about Teheran, who left the game after facing one batter in the fifth with what the team said was right lat tightness. His status was described as day to day.
"Let's hope it's nothing big," Braves interim manager Brian Snitker said. "He had a look on his face of, `I'd like to try it.' You want to keep going and then you end up screwing it up for weeks. They checked him out. Did everything, but felt they'd get a better read (Saturday)."
Teheran left after trying to run down Mark Reynolds' infield hit, though the pitcher said he may have tweaked the muscle throwing a pitch in the previous inning.
"I was feeling a little discomfort and there was some pain," he said. "I decided to come out of the game. I didn't want to make it worse."
Teheran walked off the field under his own power and was relieved by Joel De La Cruz.
Trailing 1-0 in the sixth, the Rockies went in front behind a four-run burst. DJ LeMahieu started the sixth with a walk and Arenado, coming off a scheduled rest day Thursday, drove a 2-2 offering from De La Cruz (0-3) into the bleachers in left-center field for his 24th home run.
Dario Alvarez relieved and Carlos Gonzalez singled ahead of the home run by Story. The Rockies' rookie has 24 homers.
Jace Peterson connected for a two-run homer off Jason Motte in the eighth, pulling the Braves within a run.
Carlos Estevez allowed a double to Adonis Garcia and walked Ender Inciarte to start the ninth. The runners advanced on a sacrifice and Erick Aybar walked to load the bases before Estevez recovered to get Chase d'Arnaud on a popup and strike out Peterson for his eighth save in 11 chances.
Braves pitchers picked off two baserunners, costing the Rockies scoring opportunities.
Charlie Blackmon singled to lead off the game, extending his hitting streak to 14 games. He stole second but Teheran got him out with a pickoff throw from the mound, allowing the Braves pitcher to withstand Arenado's two-out triple unscathed by getting Gonzalez to ground out.
In the fifth, De La Cruz, who had just relieved Teheran, made his first throw from the mound to first base and Freddie Freeman tagged a diving Mark Reynolds before he could get his hand back on the bag. Nick Hundley followed with a double and was stranded at third when Blackmon flied out to end the inning.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Braves: RHP Shea Simmons, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery, was slated to make his first rehab appearance on Saturday for the Gulf Coast Rookie League Braves. He's expected to throw one inning. ... RHP Dan Winkler, in the midst of a comeback from a right elbow fracture, threw on the side Friday and provided there are no setbacks, team officials could put together a minor league rehab schedule for him.
Rockies: LF Gerardo Parra, sidelined since mid-June because of a sprained left ankle, is stepping up his conditioning workouts and could soon begin a rehab assignment. ... LHP Chris Rusin, placed on the 15-day DL in early June with a left shoulder strain, is nearing a return. He's expected to be re-evaluated by training staff after a scheduled rehab assignment on Sunday.
UP NEXT
Braves: RHP Matt Wisler (4-9) has been hurt recently by the home run ball, especially on the road, where he has allowed at least two homers in each of his past three starts away from home.
Rockies: LHP Tyler Anderson (2-3) has won two starts since dropping his first three career decisions.
8:40PM,EDT,July 22,2016
Coors Field, Denver, Colorado
Coors Field, Denver, Colorado
| View: Play-By-Play | Pitch-By-Pitch | Inning: All | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| Atlanta - Top of 1st | SCORE | |
|---|---|---|
| Jon Gray pitching for Colorado | ATL | COL |
| Peterson struck out swinging. | 0 | 0 |
| Beckham grounded out to shortstop. | 0 | 0 |
| Freeman tripled to deep left. | 0 | 0 |
| Markakis reached on infield single to third, Freeman scored. | 1 | 0 |
| García struck out swinging. | 1 | 0 |
| 1 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Colorado - Bottom of 1st | SCORE | |
| Julio Teheran pitching for Atlanta | ATL | COL |
| Blackmon singled to right center. | 1 | 0 |
| LeMahieu struck out swinging, Blackmon stole second. | 1 | 0 |
| Blackmon picked off second. | 1 | 0 |
| Arenado tripled to deep right center. | 1 | 0 |
| González grounded out to shortstop. | 1 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Atlanta - Top of 2nd | SCORE | |
| Jon Gray pitching for Colorado | ATL | COL |
| Inciarte struck out swinging. | 1 | 0 |
| A Recker doubled to left. | 1 | 0 |
| Aybar walked. | 1 | 0 |
| Teherán sacrificed to pitcher, A Recker to third, Aybar to second. | 1 | 0 |
| Peterson grounded out to pitcher. | 1 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Colorado - Bottom of 2nd | SCORE | |
| Julio Teheran pitching for Atlanta | ATL | COL |
| Story struck out swinging. | 1 | 0 |
| Raburn grounded out to third. | 1 | 0 |
| Reynolds flied out to right. | 1 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Atlanta - Top of 3rd | SCORE | |
| Jon Gray pitching for Colorado | ATL | COL |
| Beckham flied out to right. | 1 | 0 |
| Freeman struck out swinging. | 1 | 0 |
| Markakis lined out to second. | 1 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Colorado - Bottom of 3rd | SCORE | |
| Julio Teheran pitching for Atlanta | ATL | COL |
| Hundley lined out to first. | 1 | 0 |
| Gray grounded out to shortstop. | 1 | 0 |
| Blackmon lined out to center. | 1 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Atlanta - Top of 4th | SCORE | |
| Jon Gray pitching for Colorado | ATL | COL |
| García grounded out to second. | 1 | 0 |
| Inciarte singled to center. | 1 | 0 |
| Inciarte picked off first. | 1 | 0 |
| A Recker struck out swinging. | 1 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Colorado - Bottom of 4th | SCORE | |
| Julio Teheran pitching for Atlanta | ATL | COL |
| LeMahieu lined out to right. | 1 | 0 |
| Arenado flied out to left. | 1 | 0 |
| González walked. | 1 | 0 |
| Story walked, González to second. | 1 | 0 |
| Raburn struck out swinging. | 1 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Atlanta - Top of 5th | SCORE | |
| Jon Gray pitching for Colorado | ATL | COL |
| Aybar struck out swinging. | 1 | 0 |
| Teherán struck out swinging. | 1 | 0 |
| Peterson grounded out to first. | 1 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Colorado - Bottom of 5th | SCORE | |
| Julio Teheran pitching for Atlanta | ATL | COL |
| Reynolds reached on infield single to third. | 1 | 0 |
| De La Cruz relieved Teherán. | 1 | 0 |
| Reynolds picked off first. | 1 | 0 |
| Hundley doubled to deep right center. | 1 | 0 |
| Gray grounded out to second, Hundley to third. | 1 | 0 |
| Blackmon flied out to left. | 1 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Atlanta - Top of 6th | SCORE | |
| Jon Gray pitching for Colorado | ATL | COL |
| Beckham lined out to center. | 1 | 0 |
| Freeman singled to left. | 1 | 0 |
| Markakis struck out swinging. | 1 | 0 |
| García grounded out to third. | 1 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Colorado - Bottom of 6th | SCORE | |
| Joel De La Cruz pitching for Atlanta | ATL | COL |
| LeMahieu walked. | 1 | 0 |
| Arenado homered to center (441 feet), LeMahieu scored. | 1 | 2 |
| Álvarez relieved De La Cruz. | 1 | 2 |
| González singled to center. | 1 | 2 |
| Story homered to left (420 feet), González scored. | 1 | 4 |
| Raburn popped out to second. | 1 | 4 |
| Reynolds struck out swinging. | 1 | 4 |
| Hundley struck out swinging. | 1 | 4 |
| 4 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Atlanta - Top of 7th | SCORE | |
| Jon Gray pitching for Colorado | ATL | COL |
| Inciarte lined out to right. | 1 | 4 |
| A Recker singled to left. | 1 | 4 |
| Aybar grounded into double play, shortstop to second to first, A Recker out at second. | 1 | 4 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Colorado - Bottom of 7th | SCORE | |
| Ian Krol pitching for Atlanta | ATL | COL |
| Krol relieved Álvarez. | 1 | 4 |
| Barnes hit for Gray. | 1 | 4 |
| Barnes struck out swinging. | 1 | 4 |
| Blackmon grounded out to second. | 1 | 4 |
| LeMahieu singled to right. | 1 | 4 |
| Arenado lined out to right. | 1 | 4 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Atlanta - Top of 8th | SCORE | |
| Jason Motte pitching for Colorado | ATL | COL |
| Motte relieved Gray. | 1 | 4 |
| Barnes in left field. | 1 | 4 |
| d'Arnaud hit for Krol. | 1 | 4 |
| d'Arnaud singled to center, d'Arnaud to second on error by left fielder Barnes. | 1 | 4 |
| Peterson homered to right (432 feet), d'Arnaud scored. | 3 | 4 |
| Logan relieved Motte. | 3 | 4 |
| Beckham grounded out to third. | 3 | 4 |
| Freeman lined out to center. | 3 | 4 |
| Markakis grounded out to second. | 3 | 4 |
| 2 Runs, 2 Hits, 1 Errors | ||
| Colorado - Bottom of 8th | SCORE | |
| Chris Withrow pitching for Atlanta | ATL | COL |
| Peterson at second base. | 3 | 4 |
| Withrow relieved Krol. | 3 | 4 |
| d'Arnaud in left field. | 3 | 4 |
| González grounded out to second. | 3 | 4 |
| Story struck out swinging. | 3 | 4 |
| Descalso hit for Logan. | 3 | 4 |
| Descalso struck out swinging. | 3 | 4 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Atlanta - Top of 9th | SCORE | |
| Carlos Estevez pitching for Colorado | ATL | COL |
| Estevez relieved Logan. | 3 | 4 |
| García doubled to deep center. | 3 | 4 |
| Inciarte walked. | 3 | 4 |
| A Recker sacrificed to pitcher, García to third, Inciarte to second. | 3 | 4 |
| Aybar walked. | 3 | 4 |
| d'Arnaud popped out to shortstop. | 3 | 4 |
| Peterson struck out swinging. | 3 | 4 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
Atlanta Braves
| Hitters | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | #P | AVG | OBP | SLG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peterson LF-2B | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 25 | .269 | .345 | .398 |
| Beckham 2B | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | .254 | .342 | .418 |
Withrow P
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Freeman 1B | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 12 | .273 | .357 | .501 |
| Markakis RF | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 19 | .260 | .336 | .364 |
| García 3B | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 18 | .257 | .295 | .375 |
| Inciarte CF | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 20 | .242 | .310 | .320 |
| A Recker C | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 11 | .385 | .529 | .538 |
| Aybar SS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 17 | .208 | .268 | .263 |
| Teherán P | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | .188 | .212 | .188 |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .250 | .250 | .250 | |
Álvarez P
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
Krol P
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
a-d'Arnaud PH-LF
| 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | .266 | .335 | .364 |
| Totals | 32 | 3 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 153 | |||
| a-singled to center for I Krol in the 8th | ||||||||||
| BATTING 2B: A Recker (2, Gray); García (12, Estevez) 3B: Freeman (5, Gray) HR: Peterson (5, 8th inning off Motte 1 on, 0 Out) RBI: Markakis (48), Peterson 2 (17) S: Teherán, A Recker 2-out RBI: Markakis GIDP: Aybar Braves RISP: 2-5 (d'Arnaud 0-1, Peterson 1-3, Markakis 1-1) Team LOB: 7 | ||||||||||
| BASERUNNING Picked Off: Inciarte (1st base by Gray) | ||||||||||
Game Notes
| SP J. TEHERAN (RIGHT LAT TIGHTNESS) LEFT GAME BOT 5TH |
Game Information
| Stadium | Coors Field, Denver, CO |
| Attendance | 35,880 (71.2% full) - % is based on regular season capacity |
| Game Time | 3:18 |
| Weather | 89 degrees, partly cloudy |
| Wind | 5 mph |
| Umpires | Home Plate - Marty Foster, First Base - Mark Wegner, Second Base - Mike Muchlinski, Third Base - Mike Winters |
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