But the real matchup might be between the Padres and, well, the Padres.
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Gray will be facing the Padres for the fourth time this season. The inning ended with the Padres ahead 6-0.
The combination of a series finale on a Sunday afternoon is nearly a no-win situation for the Padres.
Friedrich “really settled in”, Padres manager Andy Green said. “Those numbers are bad”.
“I don’t think I’m worn out”, Gray said. They have gone 15-8 on Fridays and 14-9 on Saturdays. As he has throughout his career, Jackson has blown hot and cold. Jon Jay had two hits, an RBI and scored two runs. Twice he has thrown shutout ball for seven full innings.
Gray departed two innings later having been charged with six runs (five earned) on eight hits and three walks in four innings.
The Rockies will attempt to salvage a split in the four-game series when they take on the Padres at Petco Park on Sunday. Both teams are giving an extended look to several young players while continuing to rely on All-Stars such as Wil Myers, who helped the Padres grab a 6-3 victory Saturday with two hits and two RBI.Myers has struggled since the All-Star break but hopes to close the season on a high note for the Padres, who are 24-9 in their last 33 games against the Rockies at Petco Park.
“He had a good angle to his fastball, and that’s one of his keys”, Colorado manager Walt Weiss said. “All his pitches were working and his command was there”. It marked the second straight outing in which the 26-year-old Californian yielded six runs and dropped him to 0-3 during his four-start winless streak.
Brandon Maurer came on to pitch a ideal ninth to pick up his ninth save after the Rockies scored three unearned runs in the eighth off relievers Jose Dominguez and Brad Hand. LHP Clayton Richard will be bumped up to Tuesday and Luis Perdomo to Wednesday before the Padres get Thursday off. … Thus far, he has a 1-1 record with a 2.25 ERA against the Padres (five earned runs in 20 innings). He has a 27-6 strikeout-to-walk ratio against the Padres. His last victory was at Cincinnati on June 23. The Padres have allowed 12 runs in their last three games and four or more runs in eight of their last 11 games. The ex-Rockies farm product, Friedrich outshined Gray the entire night striking out 10 in seven innings quieting the Rockies’ bats.
Friedrich (5-10), the Rockies’ first-round draft pick in 2008, allowed two hits and walked one. He is the sixth Hart grad to play in the major leagues this season.
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“It’d be wrong to say it didn’t feel good”, Friedrich said of his second strong outing against the Rockies this season.
