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ANALYSIS: Glancing at Jon Gray's numbers can be deflating as he's got a 4.33 ERA and only five wins on the season. However, in the nine starts since he was shelled in St. Louis in mid-May, Gray has picked up four of those wins while pitching to a 3.11 ERA and holding opponents to a .200 batting average. Ten dingers over that run is concerning, but Gray's sparkling 1.07 WHIP and 9.0 K/9IP have helped to limit the damage.
Gray's overall rate of 9.69 K/9 commands attention, but it's his understanding of the game and willingness to learn that make him an asset moving forward. He's neither afraid to go after hitters nor to make an occasional mistake - over his last four home starts, he's given up five homers, but also has 27 strikeouts to only five walks. A combination of more swinging strikes and a stabilizing ground ball rate should allow him to improve upon his current 65.8% strand rate. With no glaring Coors weakness and a drive to succeed, Gray is poised to cement himself as lead dog in the Rockies' rotation - and a trustworthy, weekly starter in yours - in the second half of the season.
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