Saturday, July 25, Arlington, Globe Life Park; 4:05 p.m. ET
Colorado Rockies Odds
Jon Gray stands out in a crowd – the 28-year-old’s flowing locks and 6-foot-4 frame have something to do with it – and his power fastball helps him do the same on the baseball field. But the former No. 3 overall pick still hasn’t stood out consistently in the Colorado rotation. Manager Bud Black believes that’s all about to change, and Gray is in full agreement.
Gray, 28, is ready to build on 2019 when he takes the mound against the Texas Rangers on Saturday night. “I feel like everything’s starting to come together for me,” Gray said during the summer camp at Coors Field ahead of the start of the season. “It’s really exciting. It’s been a lot of hard work, too, but I got my body in the right place down the slope on the mound. I got the right mechanics going. It makes everything work really well. When my slider’s working well, I feel like I’m 10 feet tall.”
Texas Rangers odds
The Rangers needed only one run to outdistance German Marquez and the Rockies in Friday’s opener, but left-hander Mike Minor might be overwhelmed trying to match Lance Lynn’s nine-strikeout shutout on Opening Day. Minor makes his first start at Globe Life Park and is headed toward free agency in the offseason. He was 14-10 with a 3.59 ERA and 200 strikeouts in 208.1 innings during 2019.
Minor hasn’t seen much of the Rockies – thought he did make a start vs. Colorado in 2018 – and in that short history, Nolan Arenado (1 for 4), Charlie Blackmon (0 for 5) and Daniel Murphy (3 for 21, all extra-base hits) are a combined 4 for 30.