Game 22: Pirates @ Rockies 04.27.16

Buccos go for the series win in Denver!
Game preview:
http://espn.go.com/mlb/preview?gameId=360427127
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Pittsburgh
Pirates
12-9
8:40 PM ET
Line: PIT -103
Colorado
Rockies
9-11
PIT: Niese (3-0 , 4.24 ERA) COL: Gray (0-0 , 9.00 ERA)
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1:40 AM ET
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Jon Gray's season debut ended the way most of the starts during his 2015 callup did -- with a no-decision -- and that was probably the deserved outcome with multirun innings bookending three of dominance.
The Colorado Rockies aren't yet concerned about an unflattering ERA and nonexistent win total to start his career, and there are reasons to believe that could be the right attitude. The right-hander again tries for his first big league victory Wednesday night against the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates, who have already roughed him up twice.
Gray, who made nine starts last season, gave up five runs in five innings of Friday's 7-5 home win over the Los Angeles Dodgers. After allowing two home runs and a triple in a three-run first, he ended up striking out a career-high 10 batters after starting the season on the disabled list with an abdominal strain.
"His slider was filthy," manager Walt Weiss told MLB's official website. "He ended up going to his slider, and that's where a lot of his punchouts came, with the slider. I thought he did a great job. He could've went the other way after that first inning, but he stayed the course, hung in there, didn't get flustered whatsoever, and threw the ball really well after that."
But the No. 3 pick in the 2013 draft is now 0-2 with a 5.91 ERA, 1.80 WHIP and .321 opponent batting average through his first 10 starts. It's been a rough early sample, yet there's plenty of reason to believe those numbers will level.
Gray's batting average on balls in play is .402, which is 20 points higher than the next-worst mark for a pitcher with at least 10 starts since the beginning of 2015. It's still far too early in his career to nail down what a reasonable BABIP will be for the 23-year-old, but his mark over 56 games in the minors was .321. No qualifying MLB starter since 2008 has had a single-season BABIP over .345.
His fielding-independent pitching also stands at 3.93. Five qualifying Rockies starters have combined for nine total seasons with a FIP under 4.00 since 1997, and they were all seasons that pretty much thrilled starting pitching-starved Rockies fans. Ubaldo Jimenez did it three straight seasons from 2008-10 while going 46-32 with a 3.43 ERA. Jorge De La Rosa did it in '09 (16-9, 4.38) and '13 (16-6, 3.49). Jason Hammel did it in '09-10 (20-17, 4.57). Jhoulys Chacin went 14-10 with a 3.47 in '13, and Aaron Cook was 16-9 with a 3.96 in '08.
The Pirates are already familiar with Gray, tagging him with one of those losses and eight earned runs in nine innings over two starts last year. Jordy Mercer (3 for 4 with two doubles), Gregory Polanco (3 for 6), Andrew McCutchen (2 for 4) and Starling Marte (2 for 5 with a home run) have done much of the damage.
Gray is up against Jonathon Niese, who's been a bit more fortunate to start his first year in Pittsburgh with an 8.10 run-support average. Niese (3-0, 4.24 ERA) got his third straight victory in Friday's 8-7 win in Arizona, though the left-hander gave up four runs and 10 hits in 5 1/3 innings. The Chase Field roof was open, making for some less-than-ideal pitching circumstances, but the same can be said about Coors Field.
In four starts there, Niese has a 7.94 ERA. Mark Reynolds (8 for 15 with two home runs), Nick Hundley (5 for 11) and Gerardo Parra (4 for 9) have all hit him well.
The Pirates (12-9) have won the first two of the four-game series and seven straight in Colorado while batting .348 and averaging 7.86 runs. Tuesday's 9-4 victory came with McCutchen homering three times in the first six innings to double his previous 24-game home run total at Coors.
Pittsburgh has won three straight while averaging 9 runs per game and batting .320, but McCutchen had been 2 for 19 in his previous five and got a day off Monday.
"He's gone through a period where he was getting challenged and kept working and kept looking for the answer, something to get him rolling again. He found something tonight," manager Clint Hurdle said.
The Rockies (9-11) have dropped four in a row and are batting .232 with a 5.59 starting ERA over a 3-7 span."