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Colorado Rockies game no. 76 thread - Jon Gray vs Corbin Burnes

The Rockies welcome Jon Gray back into action as they match up against the Brewers again, this time in Milwaukee

By Mac Wilcox

For the first time in three weeks, it’s #GrayDay! The Brewers will try to ruin his return as they and the Rockies match up again for the second series in as many weeks.

These teams did battle just a week ago at Coors Field, splitting the four-game series two games apiece. As expected, each game was an offensive affair, with both teams scoring at least five runs in each contest. We’re likely to see some more fireworks this weekend - American Family Field is as hitter-friendly as ballparks come.

Colorado is happy to herald the return of Jon Gray (4-6, 4.29 ERA). His last outing was a 9-5 loss to the Oakland A’s, in which the “Gray Wolf” was not as sharp as he would’ve liked - just 2 2⁄3 innings before he was removed for elbow soreness, with five earned runs attributed to him. After being Gray was removed, manager Bud Black mentioned the elbow issues as a key contributor to the righty’s issues:

“When I spoke to Jon, he indicated that his soreness impacted his pitching,” Black said. “I don’t think he felt it on every pitch. It started to tighten as the game went on. That’s when we noticed the variability with his pitch-making and with his mannerisms. We knew something was up.”

With Gray now fully healthy, we’ll see if his effectiveness has improved.

The Rox will get another shot at Brewers starter Corbin Burnes (3-4, 2.62 ERA) on Friday. When the teams last locked up one week ago, Colorado’s hitters did a nice job making Burnes sweat, tagging him for four earned runs on eight hits in 5 1⁄3 innings. Most of that damage came late in his outing - maybe now that they’ve seen his stuff, the Rockies can strike quickly in Milwaukee. The Rockies did end up dropping that game 6-5 in extras.

Offensively, Raimel Tapia will look to begin a new hitting streak after his was ended against the Mariners on Wednesday - he’s 3-for-4 versus Burnes. For the Brew Crew, Christian Yelich has seen Gray well in his career, as he owns a .368 average in 19 at-bats.

First Pitch: 2:10 P.M. MDT

TV: AT&T Sports Net Rocky Mountain, MLB.TV

Radio: KOA 850 AM/94.1 FM; KNRV 1150 (Spanish)

Lineups:

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