Votto earns 200th career home run in win against Rockies
After rebounding from one of the roughest outings of his young career, Jon Gray hopes to help the Colorado Rockies halt their latest slide.
Looking to end a mostly solid month on a high note, the right-hander tries to keep the Rockies from a fourth straight home defeat Tuesday night against the Cincinnati Reds.
Gray (2-2, 5.95 ERA) allowed nine runs in 3 1/3 innings of a 13-7 loss at St. Louis on May 19, but he's 2-1 with a 1.98 ERA in his other four starts this month. A week removed from being roughed up by the Cardinals, Gray yielded a two-run homer to David Ortiz in the first inning of the career-high 7 1/3 he lasted in Thursday's 8-2 victory at Boston.
"I just took one pitch at a time and focused on what I can do and didn't worry about the results," the 2013 third overall pick said after his 16th career outing. "Executed each one best I could."
Manager Walt Weiss was impressed.
"The progress for a young player, a young pitcher, is never going to be without speed bumps," Weiss told MLB's official website. "It doesn't happen in this league. Every once in a while you have a hiccup, but the thing I look for is how you respond.
"Jonny, after a tough outing, came out and responded about as well as you can."
Facing Cincinnati for the first time, Gray gave up two runs and struck out eight in seven innings of a 5-2 win May 13 in his most recent effort at Coors Field. It was his first win there in eight tries.
Colorado's last three starters, however, have yielded 16 runs in 13 2/3 innings during a three-game skid at Coors. Chad Bettis allowed six in 3 2/3 innings in Monday's 11-8 loss to Cincinnati as the Rockies (23-27) lost for the ninth time in 12 games and fell to 9-13 at home.
"We know we're better than the way we're playing," outfielder Carlos Gonzalez said. "(The Reds) have some really good players out there, but they've been limping."
Adam Duvall homered twice and Joey Votto went deep for the 200th time for the Reds (17-34), who have won two of three following an 11-game skid.
Six of Duvall's 13 home runs have come over the past eight games. He's 7 for 17 with 10 RBIs in the last four.
Votto is 7 for 15 with two home runs and six RBIs in his last four at Coors.
Cincinnati will activate Jon Moscot (0-2, 4.02) to take the mound after missing just over a month with inflammation in his surgically repaired non-throwing shoulder. The right-hander gave up three runs - one earned - and walked four in five innings of a 5-2 loss to the Mets on April 27 in his most recent big league outing.
Moscot made three rehab starts at Triple A-Louisville, highlighted by six scoreless innings Thursday.
"He satisfied our expectations as far as getting through six innings and throwing the ball well," Reds manager Bryan Price said. "He didn't lose his job because he got hurt."
This will be his first appearance against Colorado.
Gonzalez is looking to homer in a fourth straight contest for the first time since 2010. He's 16 for 32 in his last eight games and has seven RBIs in the last five. He's batting .484 with five homers and 11 RBIs in his last eight against Cincinnati.
