DENVER -- Chad Bettis has been pitching ahead of Jon Gray in the Colorado Rockies rotation and could have started against the Arizona Diamondbacks.But the Rockies made a change. They will have Gray start the rubber game of the series and send Bettis to the mound Monday against the San Francisco Giants.Bettis has pitched a lot against Arizona this year. Gray hasnt, so that was the biggest reason, Rockies manager Walt Weiss said Saturday in his pregame media session.Understandably, Weiss left unsaid what Bettis results have been against the Diamondbacks. In four starts against them this season, Bettis 1-0 with a 7.54 ERA (19 earned runs, 22 2/3 innings). He has allowed 37 hits in those outings.Enter Gray, whose only career start against the Diamondbacks was in September 2015.In his first full season in the majors, Gray is 9-6 with a 4.41 ERA in 138 2/3 innings with 150 strikeouts, a franchise record for a rookie pitcher. Gray worked six scoreless innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers while winning his last start Monday and is 1-0 with a 1.50 ERA in his past two outings with six walks and 18 strikeouts in 12 innings.My arms feeling pretty fresh, Gray said. I feel like its the beginning. I think Im doing a better job of resting, not throwing so much during the week. I think its saving a lot of bullets.Grays slider can be a wipe-out pitch and the one he relies upon to get strikeouts. But against the Dodgers, he got strikeouts with his curveball and changeup and said his four pitches in that game were as good as they have ever been together.Its kind of a good thing that I didnt get a chance to really go to my slider whenever I needed it, Gray said. I was able to work with other pitches and get outs and I think thats going to help me in the long run. I think that helped me the last outing, I used all my pitches to get strikeouts. The more unpredictable I can be with not going to my slider every time I get two strikes, (the better).Archie Bradley will oppose Gray and start for the Diamondbacks. Bradley is 5-8 with a 4.95 ERA. In his last outing last Sunday against Cincinnati, Bradley picked up the win as he allowed two runs and five hits in six innings with no walks and three strikeouts in Arizonas 11-2 victory.In three career starts against the Rockies, Bradley is 1-0 with a 4.38 ERA. His two career starts at Coors Field have come this year, and Bradley is 1-0 with a 4.09 ERA in those outings. He gave up four runs in six innings there May 9 and was the winning pitcher in Arizonas 10-5 win and wasnt involved in the decision June 24 when he allowed one run in five innings and the Diamondbacks won 10-9.The Diamondbacks have been buoyed by the return of center fielder A.J. Pollock, who broke his right elbow shortly before start of the regular season and was reinstated from the 60-day disabled list on Aug. 26. After going 0-for-8 in his first two games, Pollock is 9-for-20 (.450) in his past five games with one homer, three RBI, seven runs scored and four walks.I wanted to come back and be with the guys and contribute to the team in games, Pollock said after going 2-for-5 and scoring twice Saturday in the Diamondbacks 9-4 victory. I feel like Ive been able to impact the game in little ways.Pollock was an All-Star for the first time and won his first Gold Glove last year when he set career highs in average (.315), doubles (39), home runs (20), RBI (76), runs (111), hits (192), OPS (.865) and stolen bases (39).He played 12 rehab games at three levels and got 40 at-bats before making his 2016 debut with the Diamondbacks. After those two hitless games, Pollock has quickly settled back in and is again producing from his No. 2 spot in the lineup.I think theres adjustment being in the big leagues, he said. The stadiums are pretty loud. For your eyes -- youve got to get adjusted to that. Obviously, youve got to make sure you calm yourself down a little bit. I think that was the biggest thing. And slowing the game down, that takes a little bit of time. http://www.bearsrookiestore.com/Bears-Jerrell-Freeman-Jersey/ . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. http://www.bearsrookiestore.com/Bears-Mitch-Unrein-Jersey/ . Oyama had six birdies and two bogeys at Kintetsu Kashikojima in the event also sanctioned by the Japan LPGA Tour. "I have been having this neck ache thats been affecting my golf recently," Oyama said. http://www.bearsrookiestore.com/Bears-Charles-Leno-Jersey/ . After a lengthy wait, persistent rain finally forced the postponement of the Nationals game against the Miami Marlins on Saturday night. The teams, and a few thousand fans, waited nearly four hours from the 7:05 scheduled start time before an announcement was made shortly before 11 p. http://www.bearsrookiestore.com/Bears-Bryce-Callahan-Jersey/ . - Oakland Raiders running back Rashad Jennings was speaking to a group of local high school students earlier this week when the conversation turned to the importance of being prepared when opportunities in life arise. http://www.bearsrookiestore.com/Bears-Dion-Sims-Jersey/ . The 20-year-old Pelicans big man glanced up and smiled widely at the well-wishers -- a fitting end to a day he wont soon forget. Davis responded to his selection earlier in the day as a Western Conference All-Star with 26 points and 10 rebounds, and the New Orleans Pelicans overcame a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves 98-91 on Friday night. Reality already is setting in for a few teams that opened the season with playoff aspirations.No. 23 Mississippi, No. 25 Oklahoma and Notre Dame have dropped two of their first three games after each was ranked 11th or higher in the preseason Top 25 . Its the first time in nearly two decades that three teams ranked in the top 15 before the season were below .500 three games into the year.The ultimate goals likely out of reach. How will they stay motivated?If we start focusing on what happened in the last three weeks, were probably going to hit a pretty big wall here in the next nine games, Notre Dame offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey said.CBS Sports analyst Rick Neuheisel knows how challenging it is to recover.Neuheisel coached a Colorado team in 1997 that was coming off two straight top-10 finishes and opened the year ranked eighth. The Buffaloes started 2/3 that season and finished 5-6.Youve got to get up in the morning, be ready to go and put a look on your face -- not that youre angry at your team, not that youre going to punish them because they havent met expectations -- but that were resetting our expectations, were recalibrating and were going to find our way back, Neuheisel said.The last time three preseason top-15 teams were below .500 this early was 1998, when Michigan and Arizona State started 0-2 and North Carolina lost its first three games. Michigan was fifth, Arizona State eighth and North Carolina 12th in the preseason Top 25.These types of starts could become more common in the playoff era, as teams strengthen their nonconference schedules to impress the selection committee.Oklahomas two losses came against No. 9 Houston and No. 2 Ohio State . Notre Dame lost at Texas and at home to No. 8 Michigan State . Ole Miss fell to No. 13 Florida State and No. 1 Alabama after leading by three touchdowns in both games .Becoming and being relevant, I think it creates an expectation, and that expectation results in winning celebrations or disappointing losses, Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze said. Thats the two things youre going to get. Weve had our share of both,, and this year in September weve had the disappointing losses.ddddddddddddThe difficulty of bouncing back when a preseason top-15 team has fallen out of playoff contention is one reason why ESPN analyst and former Texas coach Mack Brown would rather see no polls released until mid-October.As a coach, Ive always been against early polls, because I think theyre very unfair, Brown said. We just dont know about the chemistry. You dont know whos going to be healthy through preseason camp.Brown said regrouping in this era is even tougher than before because so much focus is on which teams remain in the playoff hunt. Brown said bowl games that arent part of the playoff dont get as much attention as they received in the BCS era.You try to win your conference championship. ... That hope is still there, Brown said. There are great things that can still happen in the end if you win your conference championship.Of course, Notre Dame cant use that as incentive due to its independent status. Theyll need to find something else.We can still finish the regular season 10-2, Notre Dame wide receiver Torii Hunter Jr. said. Thats a great season. We finished the (regular) season 10-2 last year.For now, all three teams arent dwelling on their postseason possibilities and instead are focused on correcting the mistakes that got them to this point.Theres always the long-shot possibility they could get back in the playoff chase.Citing the 2007 LSU team that won the national title after losing two regular-season games, Neuheisel said somebody eventually will reach the playoff with more than one loss.There will be a day when a two-loss team will get there, (so they can say), `Why not us? Given the way were going to attack our preparation for the remainder of the season, who knows what can happen? Neuheisel said. You hold it out there as hope.---AP Sports Writers David Brandt in Oxford, Mississippi, and Tom Coyne in South Bend, Indiana, contributed to this report. Stitched NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys 2019 Discount NFL Jerseys Wholesale Nike NFL Jerseys Stitched Jerseys Cheap Jerseys 2020 Wholesale Jerseys From China Youth NFL Jerseys Wholesale China Womens NFL Jerseys Discount NFL Jerseys China Womens NFL Jerseys Cheap Stitched Jerseys Disocunt Football Jerseys NFL Jerseys Cheap Wholesale Nike NFL Jerseys Stitched NFL Jerseys China Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Wholesale Throwback Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Wholesale ' ' '