Jon Gray struggles, Colorado Rockies lose despite offensive effort

Friday night was an example of how far away the Colorado Rockies are from being successful. Their greatest hope for the future, Jon Gray, was lit up by the first-place New York Mets. His night was over before the 2nd inning was completed and the Mets were on their way.

When Gray left the game, the Rockies were down 7-1. At Coors Field, however, no lead is truly safe, especially in the early innings.

The Rockies scratched and clawed. The Rockies offense got to Mets starter Bartolo Colon. The veteran right-hander has revived his career several times over the years, but his affinity for getting outs via the fly ball doesn’t bode well for success at Coors Field. The Rockies came all the way back, tying the game at seven and again at eight before watching their bullpen do what they do best, give up a ton of runs.

In the end, the Rockies went down 14-9.

One of the few reasons remaining to watch the 2015 Rockies, Jon Gray is on top of that list. His first three starts breathed hope into a fan base reeling from the departure of their star player and on the heels of another awful season that has been yet another failure in a long line of them.

The sad reality, however, for Rockies fans is that Gray shouldn’t realistically be expected to hit the big league rotation and suddenly be a Major League ace. It isn’t that Gray doesn’t have the talent. It isn’t that he needs more time at the minor league level. It is simply that it is going to take time for him to get his bearings at the highest level. He isn’t going to dominate right away. He will have to feel out how to find success at this level. Despite the long-suffering desperation of Rockies fans, figuring out how to use his best stuff and becoming an ace won’t happen overnight, or even in one season. It is going to take time for Gray to be the ace that he has the stuff to be.

A year ago, the conversation reverted back to one point. That point was that it was time for change and that the Rockies needed to move on from Dan O’Dowd and Co. In 2015, the conversation is different, but similarly, it doesn’t change. The conversation is about how bad the bullpen is and how desperate the Rockies are for guys who an give them one or two big innings. It is a conversation that has taken place far too often for Rockies fans over close to a quarter century of baseball.

The debate can rage on for months, whether the starting pitchers are the ones causing the bullpen to be bad by not going deep enough, or whether the bullpen is simply just terrible. Regardless of who wins that argument, the reality is, no Rockies fan is the true winner of that debate. The Rockies pitching has been so bad, from starting pitchers to the bullpen, that the desperation for five decent starters and a bullpen that is even somewhat dependable is a pipe dream.

The sad thing is this, the Rockies have an offense that can erase a six-run deficit in just a few innings. Whether they are playing at Coors Field or not, the Rockies lineup doesn’t give the opposing pitcher much to pitch around. Even catcher Nick Hundley possesses a good enough bat that he has to be respected. Between him and players like DJ LeMahieu having a breakout season, Nolan Arenado going from a good player to being a superstar, and a finally healthy Carlos Gonzalez hitting more home runs than anyone since the beginning of June.

The Rockies are really bad. The season can’t end soon enough. There are reasons to continue watching, but there is a strong chance that this team could finish with the worst record in the history of the franchise. Improvement should be expected, but even with some young talent like Jon Gray, the Rockies are still a long way from competing.