Jon Gray Suffers Arm Fatigue as Rockies Fall Late

With New York traffic, it would take about 90 minutes to get from Yankee Stadium to Coney Island. The Colorado Rockies didn’t need to make the trek on Wednesday afternoon. They rode their own roller coaster … and the end of the ride wasn’t fun at all.

Starlin Castro blasted an 0-1 pitch from Jason Motte deep into the left field bleachers to give the Yankees a 9-8 walkoff win and split the two-game series in the Bronx.

There were plenty of twists and turns in this one. The Yankees went up 4-0 early, then saw the Rockies score eight straight to take what looked to be a commanding lead. However, just as the Yankees did last week in Denver, New York kept coming back against Rockies relievers.

Unlike last week, however, Colorado couldn’t stop the Yankees, who barreled through the Rockies bullpen like the 4 train that stops just outside Yankee Stadium.

While the end was disappointing, the biggest concern after the game focused on Jon Gray, who ran into trouble in the second thanks to walks that would plague him all day. Gray walked two sandwiched around a Starlin Castro single to load the bases before Chase Headley launched the first pitch he saw over the center field wall to give the Yankees a 4-0 lead.

Weiss…

“He looked heavy. He didn’t look right from the get-go. He labored through the entire outing. Fastball command wasn’t there. So, yeah, we’re just calling it fatigue. There are always concerns when you have to take a pitcher out of the game for physical reasons. We’ll check him out tomorrow and see where he’s at.

“Not sure if he’ll miss any time. Nothing hurts. So hopefully with four days in between, he’ll be OK.”

Jon Gray…

“I think it’s been that way for a couple of weeks now. I think it’s just getting to a serious point. I’m just going to relax a little bit and not try to do too much and let it rebuild.

“It just feels a little weak. It’s not getting to the point where it’s supposed to be in my delivery so it’s making it tough to command.

“I’m not concerned. I think if I rest, I’ll get it back to normal and it’s not going to go downhill further from here.

“I don’t feel any pain. It’s just really … it’s like the timing is messed up. It’s just a little fatigued and not as strong as it was. I think if we just rest it and take care of it, I think it’ll be back to where it needs to be and the command will come with it.

“It’s just really tough to pitch without a fastball. It was definitely a grind. I left it out there. I’m just ready to get back to where I need to be.

“I had pretty bad command the last three times out. Today, you couldn’t do much with that at all.

“I don’t think I’ll miss my next start. No pain. Nothing’s wrong with it. It’s just a little weak right now. That’s all. I’ve had something like this before, just probably not this bad. I don’t think it’s anything serious.”

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Neither seemed to think that Gray would make his next schedule start, but there is plenty to watch over the next couple of days.

Eight Things To Know About the Game

1. CC Sabathia had given up just four earned runs since April 28, spanning seven starts. He was tagged with five in 4.1 innings of work on Wednesday.

2. The run allowed by Colorado reliever Boone Logan in the seventh inning was his first since April 10, snapping the major’s longest active scoreless streak at 15.2 innings.

3. Colorado was held hitless over the last four innings. Meanwhile, New York scored five runs against Colorado’s bullpen in four innings.

4. Overall, Colorado’s bullpen had a 9.64 ERA against the Yankees this season.

5. Jordan Lyles made his first relief appearance since August 26, 2013. He gave up two earned runs in 2.2 innings in his first Rockies showing since May 23.

Next: Coors Field, Looking Good at the Age of 21

6. New York sent 10 men to the plate in a seventh inning that saw the Yankees tie the game after being down 8-4 heading into the frame.

7. Colorado finished the season 3-1 against the Yankees.

8. Colorado has hit 10 homers over the last three games, including shots by Nick Hundley and Ryan Raburn on Wednesday.

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