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After 65 pitches and three labored innings, Jon Gray made a decision.
According to the Denver Post's Patrick Saunders, Gray decided to shut down his curve ball experiment in Cactus League games as we enter the final 18 days or so of spring training.
Gray's curveball experiment was a topic of excitement as the squad entered camp but the location clearly wasn't there and it hurt his game plan with hitters as he limited the usage on his slider throughout each of his starts.
The curve was Gray's biggest enemy again today, as he worked through three tough innings giving up four hits and two earned runs and only registering one strikeout in the outing. Gray's fastball command was also bothersome for the righty as he continually left the pitch up where bats could find it and even when he did get it down, it missed the zone.
Overall, the Oklahoma product wasn't sharp through the majority of the day, struggling to deceive hitters and unable to get men out efficiently.
The Rockies offense provided some excitement when Gray couldn't, with Nolan Arenado and Trevor Story hitting a home run apiece in the fourth inning to give the Rockies an early 3-2 lead. The more Story hits, the more likely it is you will see him in Denver sooner than later. He now has three home runs and seven RBI to go with a .294 average this spring. He's gotten the most innings at short as well, which may be an indication the young prospect is very close to graduating to the 25-man roster.
Raimel Tapia continued his strong spring with two at-bats late in this one. He rocked a triple in the sixth and is now hitting .412 in Arizona, giving Rockies fans a strong glimpse at one of the more polarizing prospects in the minor leagues.
Like Gray, Brian Schlitter and Nelson Gonzalez also struggled on the mound for the Rockies. Schlitter was likely hurt the most by the bad outing as he continues to compete for a bullpen spot. Jason Gurka and Jake McGee had strong innings; McGee's only blemish was a solo home run but the two combined for five strikeouts. Gurka now has seven straight strikeouts and a shiny 22.5 K/9 this spring.
In the end, it was likely teens who take photos of themselves who did the Rockies in. The teens, who usually are minding their own business while taking these photos, likely distracted the Rockies and angered them for having the gall to take a photograph of their own face while they existed in the same world as other things. The nerve on these kids, I swear. I vote to blame all teens for all bad things that happen.
The Rockies fell to 6-5 in Cactus League play and will take on the stupid Dodgers tomorrow at Salt River Fields. The game will start at 2:10 p.m. MT (remember to set your clocks forward, non-Arizona folks) or 4:10 p.m. if you live in the only correct time zone, Eastern.