De La Rosa, Bettis draw post-ASG assignments

DENVER -- Coming off the All-Star break, a few things are certain with the order and members of the Rockies' starting rotation -- but a few significant question marks still remain.

Two parts are known: Jorge De La Rosa and Chad Bettis will start the first two games when Colorado starts the second half in San Diego on Friday. De La Rosa continues to battle through a cut on his left middle finger, but his production hasn't dropped. Bettis, meanwhile, has been one of Colorado's bright spots after his promotion in mid-May.

"We're in the process of setting [the rotation] up," Rockies manager Walt Weiss said before Sunday's first-half finale against the Braves. "It's not finalized yet. Matchups are probably one of the bigger factors for me. "

Right-hander Kyle Kendrick and left-hander Chris Rusin will likely fit in somewhere. But with David Hale (mild left groin strain) not eligible to come off the disabled list until late in the Rockies' next homestand at the earliest, Colorado will need a different fifth starter.

Long reliever Christian Bergman (right shoulder inflammation), who has made 11 career starts with the Rockies, threw from 120 feet on Sunday, and is nowhere near a return. Yohan Flande (10 career Major League starts) is a potential choice, and Gonzalez Germen performed well in a pinch on Friday.

Colorado could dip down to Triple-A Albuquerque for rotation replacements. Left-handers Aaron Laffey -- who was designated for assignment and will return to the Isotopes if he isn't claimed or traded -- and John Lannan have 216 Major League starts between them, but neither is on the 40-man roster.

Another option that will certainly be discussed is heralded prospect Jon Gray, who's improved greatly in recent weeks at Triple-A. Over his last 10 starts, he is 3-1 with a 2.87 ERA and has yielded two runs or less in seven of those outings. He's scheduled to start on Sunday at El Paso, meaning he'll be on extra rest should he join the Rockies' rotation in San Diego.

There have been concerns with Gray's high pitch count, which has reached triple digits in five of his last seven starts (he threw 96 and 99 pitches in the other two). In addition, Gray has pitched through the seventh inning just twice this season, including just once since June 1.

"Not sure," Weiss said when asked if there will be any imminent roster moves. "I'm sure there will be some conversations over the break as it relates to that."