. The right-hander settled down after a rough first, giving up four runs, three earned, in seven innings.Justin Smoak spoiled the Rockies' shutout bid with a solo homer leading off the ninth, and after a throwing error by shortstop Trevor Story, Danny Jansen hit an RBI double with two out to make it 4-2.Gray (5-4) worked out of trouble in the second and sixth innings before leaving in the seventh. He struck out the first two batters and followed that with two walks before Jairo Diaz came on in relief and got the final out.Colorado had a relatively quiet offensive night after getting 35 hits in its previous two games. It looked as if it would be another big night at the place in the first inning when four straight hits off Stroman made it 3-0.Arenado followed singles by Story and Dahl with one of his own to drive in the first run, and Murphy made it 3-0 with a two-run double past center fielder Jonathan Davis.Raimel Tapia extended his hitting streak to 11 games with a double in the fifth inning, and two Toronto errors on the play allowed him to score to make it 4-0.TRAINER'S ROOMRockies: OF Charlie Blackmon (right calf strain) did some running in the outfield before Saturday's game and is on track to be activated from the 10-day injured list when Colorado starts its six-game road trip at the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday.UP NEXTToronto righty Aaron Sanchez (3-5, 3.75) will make the second start of his career at Coors Field. He won his only other outing in 2016, when he allowed one run in eight innings. He will go against Rockies right-hander Antonio Senzatela (3-4, 5.81).---More MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/-Sports)
Gray tries to keep Rockies rolling at home vs. JaysFLMThe Colorado Rockies have lived on a tightrope for most of their current homestand, but it is working well for them. They are 7-1 with two games remaining, and four of those wins have come on their last at-bat.Coming off a 13-6 win over the Toronto Blue Jays in the opener of a three-game series on Friday, Colorado has a chance to wrap up a fourth consecutive series victory.The penultimate game of the homestand happens Saturday night in Denver against the Blue Jays. Colorado right-hander Jon Gray takes the mound against Toronto right-hander Marcus Stroman.Gray (4-4, 4.52 ERA) finished 2-1 with a 5.65 ERA in May. He had a couple of shaky outings in his five starts last month, but the Rockies won three of the five games, including the last two.Gray has used sports psychology to help him recover from a tough finish to 2018. As a result of that, he has ways to get his focus back after a bad pitch, such as finding the American flag in the ballpark as a focal point.It has worked to help him stay steady on the mound when things are going south."It could be a pitch I thought was a strike that I get balled on, or something frustrating like an infield swinging bunt and maybe a couple more pitches that didn't go my way," Gray told MLB.com. "Before things go terrible, it's time to step off, look at the flagpole, remember what you're doing, think of what's the best thing to do in the situation and stay on top of that."I acknowledge what happened. ... But this is where I'm at right now, and this is what I need to do. So it's almost like finding an opportunity in it." Gray will make his second career start against Toronto. His first one came on June 27, 2016, at Coors Field, where he beat the eventual American League wild-card squad with a seven-inning outing. He allowed five runs (four earned) and fanned eight.He will face a veteran whose record doesn't reflect how well he has pitched. Stroman is 3-6 but has a 2.74 ERA in 12 starts. He is coming off three solid outings, giving up just one earned run in each of those games.In his latest start, Stroman was ill but still limited the San Diego Padres to one run in five innings during a 10-1 victory Sunday."I didn't feel too good," Stroman said, according to MLB.com. "Just a little nauseous, a little dizzy. We've kind of been battling a little bug around the clubhouse a little bit, guys have been feeling under the weather. But at the end of the day, I kind of just pitch off adrenaline, and when I'm out there, kind of push everything else to the side." Stroman, who bounced back after three rough starts to open May, could soon be in his last days with Toronto. He has been the subject of several trade rumors with the Blue Jays off to a 21-36 start. The Athletic quoted an MLB executive who said Toronto's rebuild could mean trading guys such as Stroman and Aaron Sanchez.Stroman has not faced the Rockies in his career.--Field Level Media
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