Prospect Gray flirts with perfection vs. Arkansas

Right-hander Jon Gray retired the first 17 batters he faced Wednesday, only to lose his perfect game, no-hitter and, ultimately, the game.

Gray, the Rockies' No. 1 prospect and No. 14 overall, allowed one run on three hits in six innings and Double-A Arkansas defeated Tulsa, 1-0.

After breezing through the Arkansas lineup nearly three times, Gray ran into trouble with two outs in the sixth inning. Andy Workman broke up the perfect game with a single up the middle. He then stole second base and scored on Kyle Hudson's RBI single. Alex Yarborough followed with the third straight hit of the inning, but Hudson was thrown out at the plate to end the inning and Gray's day.

Despite the late trouble, Gray, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2013 First-Year Player Draft, worked efficiently. Of his 92 pitches, 66 were strikes and he didn't walk a batter.

After a rough first two starts at Double-A, including allowing six runs in just two-thirds of an inning April 11, Gray has pitched much better in his last two outings. He earned his first victory at Double-A with 5 2/3 scoreless innings in his last start and nearly matched it Wednesday.

In 18 1/3 innings this season, Gray has a 4.91 ERA and a 19-to-3 strikeout-to-walk ratio.