Gray at home when he starts Coors opener

The place and the opponent lined up well for Rockies right-hander Jon Gray, who on Wednesday was named the starter for the Coors Field home opener Friday night against the Padres.

Not only is Gray 10-4 with a 2.97 ERA against the Padres in 20 games (19 starts), but he carries a trait that serves him well in a difficult park for a pitcher. Last year, he was 6-2 with a 3.46 ERA in 13 home games (12 starts), and over his career he has produced better at home (25-10, 4.36) in 56 games than 60 on the road (18-23, 4.52).

It would be nice to have real human fans instead of artificial soundwaves, but Gray has not lost the edge he feels when he is at Coors.

“I don’t know if it’s just the way the atmosphere feels, the mound, the visuals -- there are a lot of things I like about it,” Gray said. “But just knowing that I’m gong to out-do the other guy, knowing that our lineup is going to hit the ball, it’s a good combination. It makes you feel confident.”

Rockies manager Bud Black said: “Jon has always pitched well at home. His home record is really, really solid, and all the internal numbers are great as well.”

As with, well, anything and everything these days, it’s not clear what Gray’s career patterns will tell us about 2020. Here are his career numbers in the first two-plus months of the season:

• March/April: 4-7, 5.26 ERA, .820 OPS against

• May: 8-5, 5.07 ERA, .733 OPS

And this next start is occurring on July 31:

• July: 7-5, 3.45 ERA, .697 OPS

So the question is: is Gray in early-season mode or July mode?

The first start was mostly encouraging -- one run on three hits -- but Gray lasted just 4 2/3 innings and finished without a decision. However, a key walk to No. 9 hitter Jeff Mathis showed his fatigue setting in, and he was out of the game a batter later.

Gray believes his early-season problems of years past are not calendar-based but part of a pattern he’s trying to end by developing his curveball and changeup -- and those two pitches served him well in the early innings in Texas. More diversity, he figures, would lead to greater composure that will help prevent pressure situations from snowballing.

“Last year, I did a pretty good job of just not letting games get out of hand,” Gray said. “Good games, they always came. No problem. But there was always an ugly one in between that was six, seven, eight runs. Eliminating those type of games has been a big help.”

A breakthrough occurred last May 22 at Pittsburgh, when Gray shook off a tape-measure Josh Bell home run and held the Pirates to three runs in seven innings of a win at PNC Park. Now he is even better equipped to keep moving along even through the bumps.

“We saw in Spring Training just the continued growth of Jon,” Black said. “More than anything, from a couple years ago there’s a poise and a confidence that’s showing pretty consistently.”

Home-opening starters
Gray will face Padres righty Garrett Richards (0-0, 0.00 ERA,), who struck out six and walked three against one hit in five scoreless innings of a no decision Sunday at Arizona. The Rockies also announced that Kyle Freeland (1-0, 3.00) will get the ball on Saturday, and righty Antonio Senzatela (1-0, 3.60) will start on Sunday.

Oberg bouncing back
Righty Scott Oberg, on the 10-day injured list with a lower back strain, threw a bullpen session on Monday. Black said he couldn’t pinpoint when Oberg will join the club but said that “he threw great … came out of that in a good spot. Very confident."