The Rockies have lost their two best pitchers in the span of a week. Scott Oberg was placed on the 60-day Injured List on August 19 with a blood clot in his throwing arm and now Jon Gray has been placed on the 60-day Injured List with a fractured left foot. They also lost Kyle Freeland last night to a groin strain, but no official move has been made yet.
Gray was in the midst of one of the best years of his career. After a disappointing 2018 that included a trip to Albuquerque and ended with him being left off the roster for the NLDS, Gray has bounced back marvelously this year and arguably became the Rockies best and most reliable starting pitcher. He had a 3.84 ERA and 11 wins in 25 starts this year. He racked up 150 strikeouts, but gave up 19 home runs. Gray was much more confident on the mound and was able to get himself out of traffic more often than not, which was probably the best part of his season.
Gray will be replaced by Tim Melville, who has started 17 games in Albuquerque this season and has posted a 5.42 ERA. He is a minor league journeyman, only making three major league starts (six total appearances). Melville has posted a career 11.05 ERA in 14 2⁄3 starts.
In a year that’s been disappointing at best for this Rockies team, this seems to be the nail in the coffin. At least it gives the Rockies the opportunity to see a bunch of their young arms in September, for better or worse.