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Rockies' Gray Gets 1st Career Win In Game Against Mets

DENVER (The Sports Xchange) -- Jon Gray won his first career game on Friday night with a dazzling outing at a place where success had been elusive.

Gray's strong start helped the Colorado Rockies end a long drought against the New York Mets with a 5-2 victory at Coors Field.

The Rockies had lost 11 straight games to the Mets dating to May 4, 2014. The Mets' winning streak in the series tied for their second longest against one team in franchise history.

Gray (1-0) worked seven innings, ending a string of 13 career starts without a win, a franchise record for winless starts at the outset of a career. He allowed five hits, two runs and one walk with eight strikeouts.

Gray had no record and an 11.42 ERA in two previous starts this season at Coors Field and was 0-1 with a 9.20 ERA in seven career starts there before taming the Mets. He retired nine of the final 10 batters he faced and threw a career-high 105 pitches, 71 for strikes.

Gray gave up a two-run double to No. 8 hitter Kevin Plewacki in the second inning after getting two quick outs before issuing his lone walk and hitting a batter. Gray got Plewacki to hit into an inning-ending forceout with runners on first and second in the fourth.

After giving up a one-out double in the fifth to Curtis Granderson, Gray struck out David Wright and retired Michael Conforto on a flyout.

Gray was coming off two good starts at San Diego and San Francisco on the Rockies' last road trip and carried that momentum to the Coors Field mound. In his past three starts, Gray has a 1.80 ERA (20 innings, four earned runs) with four walks and 24 strikeouts.

Charlie Blackmon had his second straight three-hit game for the Rockies and drove in a run. Trevor Story had two doubles and an RBI.

Jake McGee set the side down in order in the ninth to post his 10th save in 12 chances.

Tony Wolters took advantage of a shift and grounded a run-scoring single through shortstop to give the Rockies a 4-2 lead with one out in the sixth, the final inning for Matt Harvey (3-5). The hit scored DJ LeMahieu, who had doubled, and Wolters took second on Conforto's throw home from left field.

Harvey worked 5 2/3 innings and gave up five runs and 11 hits with no walks and six strikeouts. He gave way to left-hander Jerry Blevins, who came on to face Blackmon. He doubled off the out-of-town scoreboard in right to make it 5-2.

Gray was 0-for-19 when he led off the fifth by bouncing a single up the middle for his first career hit. Blackmon followed with a bunt single and Gray scored to put the Rockies ahead 3-2 when Story pulled a double into the left-field corner.

But a potential big inning fizzled for the Rockies when the heart of their order misfired. Harvey stranded runners at second and third by getting Carlos Gonzalez to foul out, Nolan Arenado to hit a soft liner and Gerardo Parra to ground out.

A two-run fourth enabled the Rockies to tie the score at 2. Arenado led off with a single and scored on a triple by Parra, whose shot to left center went past left fielder Yoenis Cespedes. Mark Reynolds followed with a single off Harvey.

Plawecki had four RBIs in 55 previous at-bats and was batting .218 when he doubled home two runs with two outs in the second to put the Mets ahead 2-0. The hit came after Gray got two quick outs before he issued a walk and hit a batter.

Harvey gave up a two-out triple to LeMahieu in the second and a two-out double to Story in the third. But Harvey struck out Wolters to end the second and got Gonzalez to ground out and complete the third.

NOTES: Rockies CF Charlie Blackmon extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a single in the first. ... Rockies SS Jose Reyes was suspended without pay through May 31 for violating Major League Baseball's domestic violence policy. With a $22 million salary this season, the suspension, which is retroactive to Feb. 23, will cost Reyes $7,092,896. He will miss 51 games and is eligible to begin a minor league rehab assignment June 1 that can last 20 days. ... Rockies INF Daniel Descalso, who suffered a fractured left hand March 11, was reinstated from the 15-day disabled list. 1B/OF Ben Paulsen was optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque. ... Rockies RHP Miguel Castro (right shoulder inflammation) will begin his rehab assignment and work one inning Friday night for Triple-A Albuquerque. ... Rockies LHP Tyler Matzek (anxiety) is scheduled to face one batter Friday night for Class A Modesto. He began a rehab assignment with that club Wednesday and walked the one batter he faced on four pitches that were not close to being strikes. ... Mets RHP Logan Verrett, who will make a spot start Saturday in place of Steven Matz, allowed one earned run on four hits in a career-high eight innings with a career-high eight strikeouts in his other start at Coors Field on Aug. 23, 2015. ... Mets 3B David Wright entered the game with at least one walk in a career-high 11 straight games, which is tied for the second longest streak in team history.

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