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Tag: kyle freeland

  • Rockies drop another heartbreaker to Giants in 118th loss

    SAN FRANCISCO — Slow starters all season, the Rockies got out of the gate fast on Saturday afternoon at sun-splashed Oracle Park.

    First inning: bang, solo home run by catcher Hunter Goodman, his 31st of the season. Second inning: bang, leadoff homer by Brenton Doyle, his 15th. The Rockies led 2-0 against Giants right-hander Justin Verlander.

    But, as usual, the Rockies found a way to lose, or couldn’t figure out how to win. Take your pick.

    The Giants had only four hits, but it was enough to win, 4-3, and send the Rockies to their 118th loss of the season.

    The Rockies, per usual, rallied late. Jordan Beck led off the ninth with a home run off reliever Ryan Walker, cutting the lead to 4-3. Doyle followed with a double and Kyle Karros drew a walk. Warming Bernable struck out for the second out of the inning, but right-handed reliever Spencer Bivens plunked Ryan Ritter, loading the bases.

    In the penultimate game of their painful season, the Rockies were on the cusp of one of their most satisfying wins of the season. But Ezequiel Tovar’s foul ball down the third baseline was caught against the netting by Matt Chapman.

    It was a bitter end to a well-played game.

    Patrick Saunders

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  • Rockies catcher Hunter Goodman made huge strides behind the plate in 2025

    SAN FRANCISCO — Hunter Goodman rakes.

    His skills at the plate made him the Rockies’ lone All-Star and produced the best offensive season by a catcher in franchise history. Proof is in the numbers: his 30 home runs, 147 hits, 62 extra-base hits, and 90 RBIs are all the most in a season for a Rockies’ primary catcher.

    Goodman’s skills behind the plate and his growth as a game caller and student of the game are not as easily measured. But the Rockies say the 25-year-old has made huge strides since the club turned him into a full-time catcher in spring training.

    “Overall, it’s been seen by people throughout the league that ‘Goody’ has become an everyday starting catcher who produces offensively, but I see him turning into a great defensive catcher,” veteran left-hander Kyle Freeland said Friday before the Rockies played the Giants at Oracle Park to begin their final series of the 2025 season.

    “I think how he’s grown behind the dish speaks volumes about his ability to learn, adjust, and do things on the fly, very quickly, has been impressive.”

    Some of Goodman’s improved defensive skills, particularly his ability to block balls in the dirt, are apparent. Interim manager Warren Schaeffer calls it “exceptional.”

    Goodman still has a way to go in throwing out base stealers, as his low 16% caught-stealing rate shows. However, the more subtle aspects of Goodman’s all-around game — pitch calling, receiving, and knowledge of opposing hitters — have been impressive.

    “The start of this season feels like a long time ago,” Goodman said. “I didn’t feel all that comfortable back there, to be honest with you. But as the season has gone on, I think the progress has been really good. Whether it’s blocking, receiving or throwing, I think it’s gone in the right direction.”

    Schaeffer, Freeland and Goodman all say that Goodman’s growth as a game-caller has steadily improved as the season has gone on. However, Goodman said he has made the most progress with pitch framing.

    “I’ve spent a lot of time working on receiving, or pitch framing, whatever you want to call it,” he said. “I worked really hard on that during the offseason and during spring training. I really wanted to clean some of that stuff up.”

    Patrick Saunders

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  • Tanner Gordon emerges as Rockies’ best starter as season nears close

    Tanner Gordon was not on a lot of bingo cards to be the Rockies’ best starting pitcher at the end of the 2025 season. But here he is, working with poise, efficiency, confidence and a killer changeup.

    Not to mention a bit of bravado.

    “The No. 1 thing I’ve been impressed with is his ability to pitch inside and not be scared to do it,” interim manager Warren Schaeffer said Tuesday before the Rockies hosted the Marlins at Coors Field. “His stuff plays off of that.”

    The 27-year-old Gordon, slated to pitch Thursday against Miami, doesn’t have impressive raw numbers — 6-6, 6.14 ERA, 1.50 WHIP over 13 starts — but he’s on a nice run. And it doesn’t appear to be a fluke.

    “I love the way he competes,” veteran Rockies right-hander German Marquez said. “Lately, you have seen that. He’s shown that with his results. He can be a very good pitcher.”

    Last Friday, in Colorado’s 4-2 win over the Padres in San Diego, Gordon pitched six-plus innings, allowing one run on just two hits and one walk. He tied a career high with nine strikeouts. In Gordon’s last six starts, he’s 4-1 (the Rockies 5-1) with a 3.86 ERA, 33 strikeouts and eight walks.

    “It comes down to my mindset and getting more comfortable with myself,” Gordon said Tuesday. “It’s easy to try and go big picture and say, ‘My goal is to go seven innings tonight.’ But really, I’m learning to focus on one pitch at a time. I’m shrinking things down, trying to stay focused on small tasks. I think that has really helped.”

    So has his changeup, a pitch he throws 20.1% of the time, according to Baseball Savant. Gordon sets the pitch up with his 92.2 mph four-seam fastball (53% usage) and an 84.3 mph slider (26.2%). Gordon is not a flamethrower, but the fact that his 80.4 mph changeup crosses the plate almost 12 mph slower than his fastball makes it a terrific weapon.

    “I would love to be able to throw a changeup like Tanner’s,” veteran lefty Kyle Freeland said.

    Earlier in the season, Gordon’s changeup was not nearly as effective, and his fastball command was sporadic. A prime example: An Aug. 4 game against the Blue Jays at Coors when he was pounded for seven runs on 11 hits in just 2 2/3 innings. The Rockies lost 15-1, prompting Gordon to say, “You just have to be better and give your team a chance to win. I’m sure that the bullpen doesn’t like me right now.”

    But Gordon has pitched at least six innings in four of his last five starts, and command of his changeup is a big reason why he’s been effective.

    It’s often a tough pitch to master, but it’s been part of Gordon’s repertoire for a long time, and he made a name for himself using it at the University of Illinois.

    “I’ve thrown it for as long as I can remember,” he said. “All through college and way back to high school. I play catch with it a lot. I even play long-toss with it. I feel comfortable with the feel of it.

    “It’s not going to be great every single outing, and I still play around with it, tweak the grip a little bit.”

    Patrick Saunders

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  • Rockies’ Kyle Freeland pitches eight brilliant innings in win over Padres days after ejection

    Kyle Freeland wasn’t perfect, but he pitched a masterpiece on Friday night in the Rockies’ 3-0 victory over the Padres in front of 30,073 at Coors Field.

    Just days removed from throwing only eight pitches in his last outing, the Rockies’ veteran left-hander threw eight shutout innings, allowed just two hits, and tied a career-high with 10 strikeouts. Freeland did not walk a batter.

    He threw just 88 pitches, but the decision not to let him chase a complete game was likely because of his abbreviated start on Tuesday night against the Giants — one that saw him ejected without recording an out.

    Of course, nothing comes easy for the 101-loss Rockies. Closer Victor Vodnik gave up a walk and a single in the ninth before getting a flyout and a double-play grounder to third to notch his seventh save.

    The Rockies entered the night having lost 11 of their last 13 games, but led by Freeland and catcher Hunter Goodman, they put a crimp in the Padres’ playoff path. San Diego, in a race with the Dodgers for the National League West division title, lost its fifth game in a row.

    Freeland has never pitched a complete game. The closest he came was on July 9, 2017, when he pitched 8 1/3 no-hit innings against the White Sox, the longest no-hit bid for a Rockies pitcher at Coors Field in franchise history.

    Friday night, Freeland pitched a perfect game until Ramon Laureano ripped a one-out double to left in the fifth inning. No worries, he got Jackson Merrill to fly out to left and struck out Jose Iglesias with a wicked knuckle curve to end the inning.

    San Diego’s only other hit off Freeland was a two-out single by Jose Iglesias in the eighth.

    Patrick Saunders

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  • Kyle Freeland on Rafael Devers home run trot that started brawl: “Extremely disrespectful”

    Kyle Freeland barked, but the Rockies didn’t have enough bite.

    Falling behind 2-0 and losing their starter to a self-inflicted ejection eight pitches into the game, the Rockies never fully recovered Tuesday in a 7-4 loss to San Francisco — their 100th of the year.  That makes Colorado the first franchise since the 2011-13 Houston Astros to lose 100 games in three consecutive seasons.

    “Was tonight 100?” manager Warren Schaeffer said.

    With dozens of dogs among an announced Coors Field attendance of 18,934, the Giants scored all seven runs via the long ball, none more dramatic than the first. After Freeland served up a towering two-run shot to Rafael Devers two batters into the game, the Rockies lefty interrupted Devers’ slow home run trot, aggressively urging him to hurry it up.

    “Extremely disrespectful to show me up like that in the first inning after hitting a home run. Standing there, watching it, taking your sweet time getting down to first base,” Freeland said afterward, emphasizing that he would understand if the celebration occurred after a clutch home run in the late innings. “I’ve been in this league quite some time, and I know he has as well. I just find that extremely disrespectful, and I felt that I needed to let him know about that.”

    Devers hadn’t even reached first base yet. His freshly flipped bat barely had any time to cool down on the grass before tempers heated up around it. The former Red Sox slugger shouted back at Freeland and veered away from the base path. Dugouts and bullpens emptied.

    What followed probably wouldn’t qualify as a brawl according to the old-school definition of the word — but it did include a series of shoves, instigated by Giants first baseman Matt Chapman on Freeland. Then it was a mess of hands indistinguishable from one another. In the end, Freeland, Chapman and Giants shortstop Willy Adames (responsible for a second mini-skirmish) were thrown out.

    “I was slightly surprised to be ejected,” Freeland said. “I understand that I was the one who instigated it, so that right there is grounds for ejection. I understand that. Slightly surprised, but also not, because I understand the rules.”

    Devers was sent back to first base to belatedly finish his home run trot while Antonio Senzatela warmed up to replace Freeland, even though Freeland said afterward that Devers also shoved him.

    “I don’t know why Chapman and Adames got ejected. I’m assuming it was because they came up and shoved me,” Freeland said. “Devers also shoved me. That’s the spot that I don’t understand why he wasn’t ejected.”

    Schaeffer commended the umpires for how they handled the conflict, saying he expected Freeland to be ejected after the benches cleared. When asked if he thought Devers’ celebration was excessive, the Rockies manager said he didn’t see that part.

    “Happens a lot in today’s game, but those things are subjective,” Schaeffer said. “A guy like (Freeland) has been pitching a long time. I think he felt disrespected, and he did what he did. At the end of the day, when your starter doesn’t get an out in the first inning and he’s out of the game, that hurts the ballclub. That hurts the ballclub. And he knows that.”

    Bennett Durando

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  • Charlie Blackmon triples and doubles, but Cardinals cruise past Rockies

    Charlie Blackmon triples and doubles, but Cardinals cruise past Rockies

    On cue, that old Blackmon magic showed up Tuesday night at Coors Field, but the Rockies’ chances of beating the Cardinals disappeared with the return of late-inning pratfalls.

    St. Louis scored a run in the seventh and four more in the eighth to turn a tight game into a 7-3 cruiser.

    Colorado lost when leading after six innings for the 15th time this season (a 43-15 record), the second-most such losses in the National League behind the Mets (61-16).

    A day after announcing his retirement, 14-year veteran Charlie Blackmon swung his magic wand and gave the Rockies a short-lived 3-2 lead in the fifth with an RBI triple into the right-center gap.

    Blackmon is 38, but he still has the wheels of a much younger player, and he burned up the basepath on his way to third. The triple was Blackmon’s team-leading fifth of the season and the 68th of his career, the most in franchise history and the most among all active major leaguers.

    Blackmon also led off the eighth with a double, but the Rockies failed to bring him home. Colorado has now scored three runs or fewer 34 times at home, extending a franchise record. The old mark was 31 times in 2011.

    The Cardinals turned four hits and a walk into four runs in the eighth off right-handed relievers Angel Chivilli and Jake Bird. The clutch hits were RBI singles by Jordan Walker and Victor Scott off Chivilli and a two-run double by Masyn Winn off Bird.

    “When you elevate the ball, you are putting yourself in danger,” Rockies manager Bud Black said, referring to Chivilli. “You look at the changeups to Walker and they were all elevated. That gave them the go-ahead run, at 4-3. And then they got the seeing-eye groundball from Scott — that’s baseball.”

    St. Louis tied the game, 3-3, in a bizarre seventh inning.

    Rockies starter Ryan Feltner, working on a fine game, left with cramping in his pitching arm while facing leadoff hitter Lars Nootbar. Feltner said after that game that he should be fine and expects to make his final start on Sunday in Colorado’s season finale against the Dodgers at Coors.

    Right-hander Victor Vodnik replaced Felnter in the middle of the at-bat and walked Nootbar before striking out Walker.

    Then pinch hitter Matt Carpenter crushed a double to right-center, advancing Nootbar to third. Winn hit a shot back to Vodnik, who caught Nootbar in a rundown, but the Rockies botched it when they failed to tag Nootbar and second baseman Aaron Schunk failed to cover the second-base bag. As Nootbar scampered back to third, Scott (pinch-running for Carpenter) scooted back from third base to second, and Winn ended up on first on a fielder’s choice.

    The Cardinals then cashed in on Alex Burleson’s RBI groundout to short.

    St. Louis struck first when they rocked Feltner for two runs on four hits in the third. Michael Siani led off with a single and stole second. Siani waltzed home on Winn’s two-run homer to left on Feltner’s hanging slider.

    The inning could have gotten away from Feltner — he gave up a one-out single to Paul Goldschmidt and a two-out single to Brendan Donovan — but Feltner struck out Nolan Arenado and got Ivan Herrera to fly out to right to put down the St. Louis rally.

    Feltner said he handles dangerous innings like that much better than he used to.

    “Those are situations where offenses can get a little bit more aggressive, and I had the tools, but I just didn’t have the consistency or wherewithal in terms of where we are in the game,” Feltner said. “I need to know that I have to make a pitch here, or that this guy will be aggressive here. Little things like that add up, so just having been through those experiences has helped me.”

    Colorado countered in the bottom of the third on Schunk’s solo homer off right-hander Michael McGreevy. It was Schunk’s second homer of the season. Schunk also hit an RBI infield single in the fifth, extending his hitting streak to six games. He’s batting .400 (10 for 25) through his last nine games.

    Feltner made another quality start, his third straight in September. He pitched six innings, allowing two runs on six hits. He walked only two. He has a 2.22 ERA in September and has posted a 3.21 ERA through 14 starts since June 26.

    “I have had a lot of help with (catcher Jacob) Stallings behind the plate, guiding me,” he said. “He’s helping me use my stuff in the best way possible. Also, I’m just feeling super sharp with all of my pitches and I’m able to land them or put them in the dirt for a chase. Throughout the season I think I’ve just gotten more sharp.”

    Wednesday’s pitching matchup

    Cardinals RHP Erick Fedde (8-9, 3.38 ERA) at Rockies LHP Austin Gomber (5-11, 4.67)

    6:40 p.m. Wednesday, Coors Field

    TV: Rockies.TV (streaming); Comcast/Xfinity (channel 1262); DirecTV (683); Spectrum (130, 445, 305, 435 or 445, depending on region).

    Radio: 850 AM, 94.1 FM

    Patrick Saunders

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  • Shohei Ohtani sets MLB record with homer, stolen base in same game in Dodgers’ 6-4 win over Rockies

    Shohei Ohtani sets MLB record with homer, stolen base in same game in Dodgers’ 6-4 win over Rockies

    LOS ANGELES — Shohei Ohtani set a major league record by homering and stealing a base for the 14th time in the same game and the Los Angeles Dodgers rallied to beat the last-place Colorado Rockies 6-4 on Friday night.

    The win reduced the NL West-leading Dodgers’ magic number to four to clinch the division. Los Angeles is already assured of a postseason berth.

    Ohtani’s 52nd homer and 52nd stolen base allowed him to break the previous mark of 13 games set by Rickey Henderson in 1986 with the New York Yankees.

    Teoscar Hernández hit a go-ahead homer leading off the sixth inning that gave the Dodgers a 4-3 lead.

    The Dodgers tacked on two runs in the seventh. Pinch-hitter Tommy Edman scored on Mookie Betts’ sacrifice fly. Ohtani reached on an infield single to first base and then stole second. He was safe at third on a throwing error by center fielder Sam Hilliard and scored on Hernandez’s infield single.

    Ohtani had a go-ahead homer with two outs in the fifth after Andy Pages led off the inning with a solo shot.

    Ohtani gave the crowd of 49,073 some thrills after the home fans had to watch long distance Thursday night when he became the first player in major league history with 50 homers and 50 stolen bases in a season at Miami.

    The Rockies got home runs by Charlie Blackmon and Hilliard.

    Alex Vesia (4-4) got the victory with one inning of relief. Michael Kopech pitched the ninth for his 14th save.

    Colorado’s Kyle Freeland (5-8) took the loss, giving up four runs and seven hits in six innings. He struck out two and walked none.

    Ryan Brasier pitched the first inning to open the bullpen game for the Dodgers.

    TRAINER’S ROOM

    Rockies: RHP Tyler Kinley went on the 15-day IL with right elbow inflammation.

    Dodgers: LHP Clayton Kershaw (toe) threw a 30-pitch bullpen session and hopes to face hitters next week. … RHP Anthony Banda (hand) will throw a bullpen this weekend.

    UP NEXT

    Beth Harris

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  • Rockies’ defense delivers in 14-inning win over White Sox

    Rockies’ defense delivers in 14-inning win over White Sox

    It took 14 innings and required clutch defense, but the Rockies gutted out a 5-4 win over the White Sox Sunday afternoon at Guarantee Rate Field.

    Colorado manufactured the winning run in the 14th when Sam Hilliard’s sacrifice bunt moved Ryan McMahon from second to third, and then McMahon scored on Michael Toglia’s sacrifice fly.

    Lefty reliever Jalen Beeks kept the White Sox from scoring in the bottom of the frame to help the Rockies end their five-game losing streak.

    The Rockies won despite getting only six hits, striking out 21 times and going 2 for 17 with runners in scoring position.

    Without web gems from center fielder Brenton Doyle, left fielder Nolan Jones, shortstop Ezequiel Tovar and third baseman Ryan McMahon, the Rockies would not escaped Chicago with a victory in the three-game series.

    Long before the 3-hour, 25-minute marathon was decided, lefty Kyle Freeland gave the Rockies 6 2/3 workmanlike innings. His only big mistake through the first five innings came in the fourth. He threw a misplaced 0-1 slider to leadoff hitter Andrew Vaughn, who parked the ball to left to get the White Sox on the scoreboard.

    Patrick Saunders

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  • Rockies’ Kris Bryant sidelined again with sore back; Kyle Freeland nearing return

    Rockies’ Kris Bryant sidelined again with sore back; Kyle Freeland nearing return

    Kris Bryant, the oft-injured first baseman and designated hitter, was not in the starting lineup for the Rockies’ Monday night game against Cincinnati. Bryant is once again dealing with lower back issues.

    Manager Bud Black said that Bryant was “a little sore” and added that Bryant was consulting with doctors and team trainers.

    Bryant tweaked his back Sunday while making a twisting catch of Mookie Betts’ popup in foul territory in the eighth inning during Colorado’s 4-0 loss to the Dodgers in Los Angeles.

    Bryant missed 31 games earlier in the season after he was placed on the injured list on April 17 with a strained lower back. Since coming off the injured list on May  21, Bryant has slashed .222/.333./306 while reaching base safety in eight of 10 games.

    In 28 games this season, Bryant is hitting .186 with two home runs and 10 RBIs. He opened the season in an 0-for-28 slump.

    Last month, Bryant acknowledged that his aching back — he has disc problems and what he called “severe arthritis” — will be a challenge for the rest of his career.

    “I know I have a bad back, and that’s no secret, and there are some things in there you aren’t going to heal,” he said. “It’s unfortunate, but it’s just part of getting older, and it sucks.”

    Freeland’s progress. Veteran left-handed starter Kyle Freeland is scheduled to pitch in a simulated game on Tuesday. Freeland was placed on the 15-day disabled list on April 16 with a left elbow strain and transferred to the 60-day IL on May 24. Black estimated that Freeland is likely 3 1/2 weeks away from returning.

    Veen sidelined. Outfield prospect Zac Veen, who had been playing well for Double-A Hartford, is in Scottsdale, Ariz., getting treatment on his strained lower back. He’s working out at the Rockies’ Salt River Fields complex but is not doing baseball activities. There is no timetable for his return to game action. Veen, Colorado’s first-round draft choice in 2020, has not played since May 18. He’s hitting .326 with a .986 OPS, five home runs and 12 RBIs.

    Patrick Saunders

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  • Ezequiel Tovar lifts Rockies to thrilling 3-2, 11-inning win over Phillies

    Ezequiel Tovar lifts Rockies to thrilling 3-2, 11-inning win over Phillies

    Heroes have been hard to find for the Rockies, but Friday night, there were plenty of them in LoDo.

    Shortstop Ezequiel Tovar ripped an RBI single down the left-field line off Phillies left-hander Gregory Soto to score Brenton Doyle from third and lift Colorado to a thrilling 3-2 victory.

    Tovar hit Soto’s 0-1 slider for the second walk-off hit of his career.

    “Honestly, I was just thinking, ‘Get a good at-bat there because our bullpen did a hell of a job tonight,’ ” Tovar said, using bullpen catcher Aaron Munoz as his interpreter.

    “Situations like that are extremely fun,” Tovar continued. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous in pregame or in any of those at-bats. But any situation, in any at-bat, I just try to get a hit up the middle, basically.”

    Tovar, who went 4 for 6 and had the first four-hit game of his career, would not have had the chance to don Superman’s cape had it not been for backup catcher Jacob Stallings. Or a lockdown night by the bullpen.

    In the ninth, with the Rockies trailing 2-1 and down to their final out, Stallings ripped a 427-foot, pinch-hit homer off Phillies closer Jose Alvarado to tie the game, 2-2. Stallings ambushed Alvarado’s first pitch, a 97 mph sinker, to send the game into extra innings.

    “I know what a tough at-bat Alvarado is,” said Stallings, who hit the first pinch-hit homer of his nine-year career. “But that was a really cool moment and it ranks up there as one of my favorites. But contributing to the win was the most important thing.”

    Stallings is the third player in Rockies history to launch a game-tying, pinch-hit home run with two outs in the ninth inning. The others were Larry Walker, on July 17, 1999, at Cincinnati, and Sam Hillard, on Sept. 28, 2019, vs. Milwaukee.

    And Colorado’s much-maligned relief corps came through big time.

    Reliever Nick Mears found himself against the ropes in the 10th. A one-out walk by Whit Merrifield, followed by a bloop single to center by pinch-hitter Kody Clemens, loaded the bases. But Mears struck out the dangerous Kyle Schwarber looking at a curveball and got J.T. Realmuto to ground out to first.

    On a night when Colorado desperately needed a reliever to come through, Mears delivered two scoreless innings. And then Tyler Kinley delivered a scoreless 11th to notch the win.

    The Rockies have become extra-inning warriors. They beat Oakland in 12 innings Wednesday night and lost to the A’s in 11 innings on Thursday. Friday marked just the second time the Rockies have played three consecutive extra-inning games. It last happened June 20-22, 2002, when the Rockies beat the Yankees in the 10th, followed by a win over Tampa in the 10th, then another win over Tampa in the 11th.

    Before all of the late-game drama, Colorado left-hander Ty Blach pitched a terrific game.

    The Phillies came to LoDo on a roll, having won 29 of their previous 35 games but Colorado went toe-to-toe with them.

    The night’s fireworks came early when Phillies star first baseman Bryce Harper was ejected in the first inning for arguing balls and strikes with home plate umpire Brian Walsh. Harper struck out on three pitches against Blach. Harper spiked his batting helmet and then continued to argue. It was Harper’s first ejection of the season and the 21st of his career.

    “Bummed,” Harper told reporters in the Philadelphia clubhouse. “I wasn’t trying to get thrown out. I was just having a conversation. There are guys who are professionals in this league. They understand it. I guess 120 didn’t understand it.”

    The “120” Harper reference is Walsh’s umpire jersey number.

    Crew chief Vic Carapazza provided a pool report about Harper’s ejection after the game.

    “What led to the ejection was that Bryce Harper was clearly upset about the pitches and Brian gave him a long leash,” Carapazza said. “He kept him in the game, and Bryce just kept arguing about balls and strikes and, at the end of the day, equipment violation is basically a big warning and, if you continue to talk about pitches, then Brian had to handle it. So that’s it, really.”

    Besides striking out Harper, Blach set the stage for the Rockies’ victory. Following in the footsteps of Cal Quantrill, Austin Gomber and Ryan Feltner’s excellent starts in Oakland, Blach slowed down the Phillies for 6 2/3 innings.

    The Phillies hurt him with two swings in the fifth inning. Nick Castellanos led off with a 445-foot blast to center, teeing off on Blach’s 1-0 cutter. Two batters later, Edmundo Sosa launched Blach’s 2-1 sinker into the left-field bleacher for a 2-0 Philly lead.

    Blach allowed five hits, struck out two, and walked two. Of his 78 pitches, 58 were thrown for strikes. Most impressive, his only three-ball counts of the night came vs. the final two batters he faced.

    “The key was to pitch down,” Blach said. “I know they like to do damage, so I tried to get some groundballs.

    He threw 78 pitches, 58 for strikes, in his very efficient night.

    “When I’m right, that’s how things are going,” he said. “I’m just attacking the zone and changing speeds, going in and out. The changeup was good tonight and I was able to keep those guys off-balance.”

    Colorado sliced Philadelphia’s lead in half in the bottom of the fifth, combining a double by Hunter Goodman, a single up the middle for Alan Trejo, who was filling in at third base for Ryan McMahon, and an RBI single by Tovar. Tovar’s 23 RBIs rank are tied for second on the team with  Elias Diaz and trail only McMahon (30).

    Saturday’s pitching matchup

    Phillies RHP Aaron Nola (6-2, 3.05 ERA) at Rockies RHP Dakota Hudson (1-7, 5.89)

    7:10 p.m. Saturday, Coors Field

    TV: Rockies.TV (streaming); Comcast/Xfinity (channel 1262); DirecTV (683); Spectrum (130, 445, 305, 435 or 445, depending on region).

    Radio: 850 AM/94.1 FM

    While right-hander Cal Quantrill and lefty Austin Gomber have been pitching like All-Stars this month, Hudson continues to struggle. But he has made some progress, even though he picked up his seventh loss on Sunday at San Francisco. He allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits over 4 2/3 innings. Lack of pitch efficiency has been a problem for the right-hander all season. And Hudson has struggled at Coors Field, going 0-3 with a 9.00 ERA, 15 walks and 11 strikeouts over four starts. In five career starts against the Phillies, he’s 1-2 with a 3.58 ERA, 16 walks and 15 strikeouts. As a member of the Cardinals last season, he made two starts against Philly, going 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA.

    Nola has pitched well against Colorado, going 4-2 with a 3.36 ERA in 10 starts, striking out 72 while walking only 11. He dominated the Rockies in Philadelphia last month, allowing one run on four hits over 7 1/3 innings. He fanned nine and walked one. Nola is coming off a strong performance vs. the Nationals last Sunday when he allowed three runs (two earned) on two hits and three walks across seven innings. He struck out five. In five career starts at Coors Field, he’s 2-2 with a 4.22 ERA.

    Pitching probables

    Sunday: Phillies LHP Ranger Suarez (9-0, 1.36) at Rockies RHP Cal Quantrill (3-3, 3.59), 1:10 p.m.

    Monday: Guardians RHP Xzavion Curry (2-2, 1.93) at Rockies LHP Austin Gomber (1-2, 2.76), 2:10 p.m.

    Tuesday: Rockies TBD at Guardians TBD, 6:40 p.m.

    Want more Rockies news? Sign up for the Rockies Insider to get all our MLB analysis.

    Patrick Saunders

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  • Kyle Freeland’s changeup was big problem in Rockies’ historic loss to Diamondbacks

    Kyle Freeland’s changeup was big problem in Rockies’ historic loss to Diamondbacks

    PHOENIX — The Rockies claim they don’t have a hangover from Thursday night’s 16-1 loss to the Diamondbacks, but there were lessons learned for starter Kyle Freeland.

    Lesson No. 1: Find a way to throw a more effective changeup, which the left-hander hopes will be a big weapon for him this season.

    To recap the season opener at Chase Field, Freeland was ripped for 10 runs on 10 hits in just 2 1/3 innings, including a two-run homer to Lourdes Gurriel in the first inning. The 10 runs Freeland surrendered were a career-high. The third inning was 34 minutes of batting practice for the D-backs, who sent 18 batters to the plate and scored 14 runs, the most in an inning on opening day for any team since 1900. Freeland was charged with eight runs in the inning, and rookie reliever Anthony Molina was charged with six.

    Freeland acknowledged his poor pitch location but credited Arizona’s aggressive hitters.

    “They put the ball in play,” Freeland said Thursday night. “That’s what hitters are paid to do — put the ball in play, create action on the basepaths — a lot of singles, and/or doubles, balls hit soft, seeing-eye ground balls. It was just everything that they were hitting.”

    Before Friday’s game, manager Bud Black said that a video review of Freeland’s career-worst performance revealed some clues as to what went wrong.

    “I suspected that there were some locations missed, and that was the case,” Black said. “If I was going to pick on any particular pitch, I would think that the changeup was a bit too hard. There were some 88 and 89 mph changeups. The (Christian) Walker double, 89. The (Ketel) Marte groundball up the middle that (shortstop) Ezequiel (Tovar) almost had, 88. During spring training, Kyle was trying to get the changeup down to 85-86.”

    Freeland changed the grip on his changeup during the offseason and said during spring training that he was getting comfortable with the pitch. He admitted, however, that the changeup can be problematic for him.

    “That changeup has always been a pitch that’s kind of been a bugaboo,” he said during camp. “You find it, then you lose it and you’re searching for it again. My confidence is definitely back on that pitch.”

    Maybe so, but command of all of his pitches deserted him Thursday night.

    “Last night, (there was a lot of) adrenaline, his arm felt good, an extra day’s rest — all of those things,” Black said. “The changeup was just coming in too hot. Too much velocity. And the location of all of his pitchers was not Kyle-like.”

    Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Kyle Freeland pauses on the pitcher’s mound during the third inning of the team’s baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday, March 28, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

    Patrick Saunders

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  • One area where Rockies could be elite this season? In the field: “We have a shot of being the best of the best”

    One area where Rockies could be elite this season? In the field: “We have a shot of being the best of the best”

    SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Chances are the Rockies’ record won’t glitter this season, but their defense should be golden.

    With Gold Glove winners in center field and at second base, Gold Glove finalists at shortstop and third, and potential sprinkled all around the field, Colorado should have one of the best defenses in the majors.

    “I think we have a good shot at being the best of the best,” said second baseman Brendan Rodgers, who won a Gold Glove in 2022.

    Manager Bud Black agrees.

    “If you love the complete game of baseball, and defense is a big part of that, you’ll like watching us,” he said. “Every night, there is a chance to see a legit great play from talented defenders.”

    The Rockies open their 2024 season Thursday night against the defending National League champion Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. The first pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. (8:10 p.m. MDT).

    Coming off a 103-loss season and having undergone only minor roster reconstruction during the offseason, the rebuilding Rockies are predicted by most pundits to have a sixth consecutive losing season and finish last in the National League West for a third straight year. Although the pitching might falter again, and offensive production remains a huge question mark, Colorado’s glovework could be “elite.”

    “We have guys who know how to pick it and throw it and ultimately play elite all-around defense,” said left-hander Kyle Freeland, who’ll start the season-opener.

    The Rockies’ words are not idle chatter around the batting cage.

    Center fielder Brenton Doyle, Colorado’s human highlight film, won a Gold Glove as a rookie last season. He finished with 19 defensive runs saved, the sixth-most among all position players and the most of any center fielder in the majors.

    Shortstop Ezequiel Tovar, who signed a seven-year, $65.3 million contract extension on Tuesday, was a Gold Glove finalist as a rookie last season. Third baseman Ryan McMahon has been a finalist for three years running, and his 17 defensive runs saved last season were the second-most among third basemen.

    Left fielder Nolan Jones, playing his first full season as an outfielder, led the majors and set a franchise record with 19 outfield assists, surpassing Dante Bichette’s mark of 17 in 1999. Jones finished fourth in National League Rookie of the Year voting.

    Patrick Saunders

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  • Rockies Journal: Questions to ponder as regular season nears, including cable TV situation that remains unresolved

    Rockies Journal: Questions to ponder as regular season nears, including cable TV situation that remains unresolved

    SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Questions to ponder as the Rockies near Thursday’s season-opener against the Diamondbacks:

    Will fans be able to watch games via traditional cable?: The Rockies continue to say that negotiations are ongoing to find a way for fans to watch games on systems like Comcast, Dish Network or DirectTV. I was originally told that a deal would hopefully be worked out before the regular season begins. However, there are no guarantees that’s going to happen, leaving some fans in limbo.

    Will fans pay to stream games via Rockies.TV?: That’s the multi-million-dollar question facing owner Dick Monfort. The club launched its online streaming service last month. Rockies.TV will show all Rockies games this season, with Major League Baseball producing and distributing the games.

    MLB will also remove blackouts for fans, meaning that for the first time, fans in the Rockies’ traditional TV territory can live stream all of the club’s games. To stream Rockies games only, the cost will be $19.99 per month or $99.99 for the season.

    Streaming all sports, not just baseball, is the wave of the future. But several disgruntled fans have told me they won’t pay $19.99 monthly to watch a team that lost 103 games last season. I’m not sure I believe many of them. Baseball is part of the fabric of summer, and I think fans would miss tuning in to the local team more than they realize.

    Still, it’s going to be a hard sell. Two years ago, the Rockies drew an average of just 15,000 household viewers per game via traditional TV, according to Forbes and Nielsen Media. Only the Miami Marlins and Oakland Athletics had worse ratings.

    Will attendance tumble at Coors Field?: A little bit, but I don’t see a giant slide. Last season, the Rockies averaged 32,196 fans per game at Coors Field, down only slightly from the 32,467 average from 2022. Even if the Rockies stumble early — a distinct possibility — they have the Red Sox coming into town for three games after the All-Star Game and they end the season with the Cardinals and Dodgers coming to LoDo for what could be meaningful games for the visitors.

    Which Rockies will make the All-Star Game?: We know every team sends at least one player to the Midsummer Classic, but I’ll give you three Rockies who could end up at Globe Life Field on July 16 in Arlington, Texas.

    Topping my list is left fielder Nolan Jones, a terrific athlete who has a chance to be an impactful power hitter. On deck is second baseman Brendan Rodgers. He’s had an excellent spring, and his confidence is sky-high.

    My wild-card choice is veteran lefty Kyle Freeland. Manager Bud Black said recently that he’s never seen Freeland pitch better. That’s saying something, considering that Freeland went 17-7 with a 2.85 ERA over 33 starts in 2018.

    Will the “real” Kris Bryant finally show up?: I want to say yes because he’s very well-liked by his teammates and he’s a class act. He’s got a beautiful swing and is a graceful athlete. But I don’t know what KB has left at age 32 following two years of injuries that limited him to 122 games in a Rockies uniform.

    If he stays healthy and plays 145-150 games, I could envision him hitting .280 with 20 homers and 80 RBIs. But he’s never going to hit .292 with 39 homers and 102 RBIs as he did in 2016 when he was named National League MVP and helped lead the Cubs to their first World Series title since 1908.

    Patrick Saunders

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