Coming off a 2-5 road trip that made the club’s scorching July quickly feel like a distant memory, the Rockies needed someone to set the tone during Monday night’s opener of a seven-game homestand.
Fortunately for Colorado, it was the turn in the rotation for its unquestioned 2018 ace — both by statistical analysis and the old-fashioned eye test — to take the hill. And when he did, Kyle Freeland did as he has so often done this season: He pitched like a guy hungry for October lights in LoDo.
The second-year southpaw turned in seven innings of two-hit, shutout baseball, and a pair of Colorado runs in the fifth — sandwiched around a 32-minute rain delay — were enough to overcome the Pirates 2-0 at Coors Field.
“He had his mix of pitches really working today,” manager Bud Black said. “The fastball in to the right-handed hitters was outstanding, the fastball in to the left-handed hitters was outstanding, and the slider came into play… He really pitched outstanding by keeping the ball down, and pitching in well to their lineup.”
Beyond Corey Dickerson’s leadoff single in the first inning and Pittsburgh pitcher Joe Musgrove’s double in the third, Freeland was exceptional, and he used five strikeouts to work around his three walks as well as a hit batsman.
With the latest gem in front of the home crowd, Freeland lowered his Coors Field ERA to 2.18 in 10 starts while also earning his sixth win there. And with a handful of starts left at the stadium this year, he’s on track to post the lowest single-season home ERA in club history (Jorge De La Rosa, 2.76 in 2013).
The guy born and raised at altitude doesn’t let the thin air get to his head.
“It’s just another fifth day for me — I enjoy pitching at home, and I like it here because the team plays well here,” Freeland said. “I don’t let the whole ‘Coors Field effect’ come into play for me. I pitch my game, and my game is pitching to contact, getting weak contact and keeping the ball on the ground.”
In the early parts of Monday’s game, Musgrove was outpitching Freeland in the right-hander’s Coors Field debut. Musgrove retired the first dozen Colorado hitters he faced before Nolan Arenado broke up the perfecto to begin the fifth inning.
“(Musgrove)’s got good stuff,” Black said. “He’s got a couple different fastballs, including a sinker in the mid-90s and he cuts the ball so it’s going the other way. He’s got a slider that was pretty consistent too, down and away from the righties and into the lefties.”
But Arenado’s opposite-field single to right was followed by a Story single, on which Arenado hustled to third. Gerardo Parra then grounded to Pittsburgh second baseman Josh Harrison, who booted the ball as Arenado scored to give Colorado a 1-0 advantage.
The delay followed, and Colorado added another run via a Chris Iannetta sacrifice fly a few batters later to extend the score to 2-0 in an inning in which Colorado squandered an opportunity to bust the game open. The Rockies gave away one out on a failed sacrifice bunt that Freeland popped up, and handed the Pirates another when Parra was easily thrown out at home by Gregory Polanco to end the threat.
After Freeland exited, Seunghwan Oh pitched a flawless eighth inning as he turned in his sixth consecutive scoreless appearance since joining the Rockies July 26. And Wade Davis, who had blown two straight saves coming into the night, locked down the ninth, earning his 32nd save.
“Both Davis and Oh came in and attacked hitters, and fed off what myself and Chris (Iannetta) were doing for the first seven innings,” Freeland said. “They made them uncomfortable, attacked them, and let them know that we’re not afraid to throw strikes and attack the zone.”
Looking ahead
Pirates RHP Jameson Taillon (8-8, 3.74 ERA) at Rockies RHP Chad Bettis (5-1, 5.10), 6:40 p.m., ATTRM; 850 AM
Taillon has been a slightly better pitcher on the road this season with a 3.59 ERA, and his lone career start against Colorado came last year when he turned in five scoreless innings in a Pirates victory at PNC Park. Colorado’s best bet is to be aggressive against the right-hander, as hitters are averaging .336 when the count is 0-0, 1-0 or 2-0. Meanwhile, in his first start since coming off the disabled list, Bettis looks to regain the groove he had earlier in the season, when the right-hander posted a 3.68 ERA through the season’s first two months before coming back to earth with a 8.28 June ERA. Pittsburgh has hit Bettis for a .314 average (22-for-70).
Wednesday: Pirates RHP Chris Archer (3-5, 4.49 ERA) at Rockies RHP German Marquez (9-8, 4.70), 1:10 p.m., ATTRM
Thursday: Dodgers RH Ross Stripling (8-3, 2.68) at Rockies LHP Tyler Anderson (6-4, 4.05), 6:40 p.m., ATTRM
Friday: Dodgers RHP Kenta Maeda (7-7, 3.73) at Rockies RHP Jon Gray (9-7, 4.73), 6:40 p.m., ATTRM
