DENVER -- The Rockies know that the numbers attached to right-handed pitcher Jon Gray's four-start slump -- including a 9.33 ERA and .360 batting average against -- serve no purpose other than to make heads spin. Instead, they've boiled the mess down to a simple principle: Improvement rests in Gray's hands.
Gray has been the Rockies' No. 1 starter for the last two seasons, so his struggles have been understandably alarming. But the test facing Gray, as well as manager Bud Black and pitching coaches Steve Foster and Darren Holmes, is to ignore the justified fan angst, do the extensive video and statistical analysis, and present cool-headed coaching points.