DENVER — With one out remaining in what looked to be a 5-3 Rockies win, the takeaway from the game looked clear: Jon Gray and Carlos Estevez were developing into strong pitchers before our eyes.
However, Rockies closer Jake McGee allowed back-to-back singles to Alexei Ramirez and Alexi Amarista followed by a ground-rule double by Jon Jay and a three-run Wil Myers home run, all with two outs in the ninth, to hand the Padres a 7-5 win.
While McGee’s failure negates the success of Gray and Estevez in the standings, it does not negate their success from a development perspective, something that is perhaps more important for the rookies than strict wins and losses.