MESA, Ariz. -- Rockies starter Jon Gray got everything he wanted out of Tuesday's outing against the A's, although in the case of his three walks it was actually more than he wanted.
"They bug me," said Gray, the right-hander who's likely going to start on Opening Day for Colorado. "That's one thing I took pride in, trying not to walk anyone in Spring Training."
In the Rockies' 4-3 comeback win over the A's, Gray allowed just one hit in his 3 2/3 innings of work and struck out six batters. The three walks, including back-to-back free passes in the second, contributed to him coming out with two down in the fourth. He was slated for 60 pitches, and Rockies manager Bud Black pulled him at 62.
"More than anything, I liked the fact that after the second, he bounced back and had a very good third and got two good outs in the fourth," Black said. "I thought it was an impressive outing, again."
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Gray also picked up a bat for the first time this spring, managing an infield single his first time up before striking out in his second at-bat.
"Yeah, that was weird," Gray said of holding the bat. "It was like, 'What's going on? What do I do with this?'"

Dahl update
David Dahl, whose last Cactus League appearance came on Feb. 26 due to a rib injury, admits it's still difficult to be on the sidelines while everyone else is building up toward Opening Day. After an impressive rookie season in 2016, Dahl entered camp hoping to clinch the starting left-field job.
"It sucks to watch, especially in a big spring for me like this. It's pretty tough," Dahl said Tuesday morning, managing a smile.
Dahl should know more about his progress later in the week, when he'll undergo tests to determine how the healing process is coming along for the stress reaction in his rib.
"He feels as though it's his time to show what he can do in the big leagues, and it's delayed -- that's the bummer," Black said. "But like anything, you've got to get over the initial disappointment of being out and get back to being healthy."
Of course, this isn't Dahl's first experience with coming back from an injury, having suffered a lacerated spleen in a 2015 collision in the outfield.
"I've overcome a lot more than this," Dahl said. "I'm not worried about it. I was upset when I first found out, and now I'm happy and just want to move on and get ready and get back playing when I can."
Classic teammates
The Rockies have been missing a few teammates with the World Baseball Classic going on, but on Wednesday they'll be able to watch their two biggest stars -- Nolan Arenado and Carlos Gonzalez -- face off against each other as Team USA takes on Team Venezuela (9 p.m. ET/7 MT, live on MLB.TV and MLB Network).
"I've had a real good time watching both of them in the World Baseball Classic, and watching them play against each other will be a little different, but pretty good, pretty neat for both of them," Rockies second baseman DJ LeMahieu said.
Rockies reliever Jake McGee is also on Team USA.
Worth noting
• Jeff Hoffman, the Rockies' No. 2 prospect according to MLBPipeline.com and key player in the Troy Tulowitzki trade with Toronto, allowed three earned runs on four hits in his two innings of work, throwing 42 pitches in the game and hitting the bullpen to move his count up to 60.
• With catcher Tom Murphy sidelined for the rest of camp with a broken right forearm, two backstops who figure to get more playing time shined Tuesday. Dustin Garneau started and went 2-for-3 with a ground-rule double, and Anthony Bemboom hit a two-run homer in the ninth.