SAN DIEGO -- Through deflating losses to the Padres the previous two nights, Rockies manager Walt Weiss emerged encouraged by the forward steps taken by right-handed starting pitchers Jon Gray and Eddie Butler.
Gray, a rookie who has pitched with power through his first three Major League starts, fanned 11 in six innings but ended up taking a 2-1 loss Monday night because of a slow start to the first inning.
Butler, hoping to stick after spending parts of the last two years in the Majors, retired the first 11 batters, but made some key mistakes in a 6-3 loss Tuesday night.