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.
Freeland was coming off the most bizarre game of his career. On Tuesday, he faced just two batters, threw eight pitches, surrendered two runs, recorded zero outs, and was ejected for confronting Giants slugger Rafael Devers during Devers’ showy home-run trot.
Colorado took a 1-0 lead in the third on Goodman’s two-out home run off San Diego right-hander Nick Pivetta. It was Goodman’s team-high 28th homer, tying Wilin Rosario for the most homers by a primary catcher in franchise history. Rosario set the mark in 2012.
Goodman continued his torrid streak at the plate. He contributed to Colorado’s run in the second when Mickey Moniak, Goodman and Jordan Beck hit successive singles off Pivetta to put the Rockies ahead, 2-0. Goodman’s bloop double to right scored Moniak, pushing the Rockies’ lead to 3-0.
Over his last three games, Goodman has gone 9 for 12 with two homers, two doubles and nine RBIs.
If the Padres fail to catch the Dodgers in the National League West, or should they slip in the wild-card race, they’ll no doubt mutter under their breath about those blankity-blank Rockies.
The Rockies beat San Diego again Sunday afternoon at Coors Field, winning 3-2 behind timely hits and a stellar start from rookie Bradley Blalock. The Rockies won the three-game series, halting the Padres’ streak of eight consecutive series victories.
Victor Vodnik shut down San Diego in the ninth for his ninth save.
Colorado is tracking toward another 100-loss season, but it went 8-5 vs. the Padres this season. The Padres entered Sunday’s game having won 20 of their last 24 games.
Colorado center fielder Brenton Doyle’s leadoff triple off of reliever Bryan Hoeing ignited the Rockies’ game-clinching two-run sixth. With one out, San Diego decided to intentionally walk the dangerous Michael Toglia, put runners on the corners, and pitch to slow-footed catcher Jacob Stallings.
The move backfired. Stallings punched a single to right, and when David bobbled the ball for an error, Toglia raced to third. Toglia scored on Sam Hilliard’s groundout to second for a 3-1 Colorado lead.
Manny Machado’s big swing cut the lead to 3-2 with a leadoff homer off Tyler Kinley in the eighth. Kinley left a hanging slider over the heart of the plate and Machado ripped it down the left-field line for his 19th homer.
Blalock has pitched like a cool veteran in his first two starts with the Rockies. And the rookie right-hander took a step forward on Sunday, matching Padres veteran Joe Musgrove. Blalock gave up one run over 5 2/3 innings on six hits and three walks while striking out two.
San Diego scratched out a run in the fourth on a single by Xander Bogaerts and an RBI double by David Peralta.
In Blalock’s first major league start and Rockies debut on Monday at Arizona, he allowed three runs on six hits over 5 2/3 innings, striking out four and walking one.
Musgrove limited Colorado to one run on three hits over 4 1/3 innings. He struck out six and walked one. The Rockies got to Musgrove in the third on a leadoff single by Jordan Beck and a line-drive RBI double into the left-field corner by Aaron Schunk.
Brendan Rodgers had another hot August night, and the Rockies cooled off the sizzling Padres.
Rodgers’ three-run, first-inning homer sparked the Rockies’ 7-3 victory Friday at Coors Field. San Diego, trying to topple the Dodgers from the National League West throne, came into the game having won 19 of its previous 22 games.
Rodgers extended his hitting streak to 10 games and is hitting .392 this month, with six doubles, three homers and a 1.115 OPS.
His 10th homer of the season was the catalyst to Colorado’s four-run first. Rodgers blasted a 77.3 mph knuckleball from right-hander Matt Waldron 439 feet and deep into the left-field bleachers.
“It’s been fun,” Rodgers said. “I usually do struggle in August. But I talked to my hitter guy and some people I trust a lot with the developmental part of the game. So I decided to trust it and just keep going.”
Manager Bud Black is thrilled with Rodgers’ production and his ability to “go to the post” as the season heads into its final weeks.
“He’s driving the ball better, and we’re seeing him hit to the gaps and send the ball over the fence,” Black said. “His swing is crisp with some bat speed to it.
“And what’s good about it for me, and to the coaching staff, is that it’s happening in the dog days of August, and it’s happening when guys are tired. It’s happening at the time of year when you really have to fight through some things, physically and mentally. This is a tough time for all players. I’m proud of Brendan.”
Rodgers had plenty of help Friday night. Rookie Jordan Beck (3-for-4) singled in the second and waltzed home on Charlie Blackmon’s eighth homer of the season. In the sixth, Beck drove in Michael Toglia with a single to right. Toglia led off with a hustle double to right.
Blackmon’s homer was his first since July 22 vs. Boston. His 223 career home runs are four shy of tying Carlos Gonzalez for fifth in franchise history.
Colorado right-hander Cal Quantrill, making his first start since Aug. 4 because he was sidelined with forearm soreness, turned in a workmanlike, five-inning start.
“Early on, I was a little tentative and I made some bad pitches in the first and second,” Quantrill said. “But I think we settled in after that. I thought (catcher Jacob Stallings) called a good game, and we kept mixing it up just enough. We didn’t rely too heavily on the fastball or the splitter, we just had a nice change of pace.
“It probably won’t be my best start ever, but we’ve talked about the importance of winning at home. That’s a team that’s really hot right now and we beat them.”
Quantrill is 4-2 with a 3.47 ERA in 10 starts at Coors, the seventh pitcher in franchise history to post a sub-3.50 ERA through his first 10 starts in LoDo as a member of the Rockies. The others are Austin Gomber, Kyle Freeland, Tyler Anderson, Juan Nicasio, Jeff Francis and Denny Stark.
All three runs Quantrill gave up came on home runs — a two-run blast by Ha-Seong Kim in the second and a leadoff blast by Xander Bogaerts in the fourth.
Quantrill, who gave up six hits, walked two and struck out five, was inefficient, throwing 92 pitches (55 strikes) in his outing.
But the right-hander made big pitches in big moments.
San Diego loaded the bases in the first on a single by Luis Arraez, a hit-by-pitch by Jurickson Profar and a walk by Jake Cronenworth. But Quantrill escaped the jam by striking out Manny Machado and getting Bogaerts to ground into an inning-ending double play.
“You never know when a momentum-changer is coming … but that was dire,” Black said.
Quantrill also escaped trouble in the third with another double play, as well as a sensational catch against the center field wall by Brenton Doyle on Cronenworth’s line drive.
Colorado’s bullpen blanked the Padres for four innings, led by right-hander Tyler Kinley, who pitched 1 1/3 scoreless inning and struck out two. He came on for lefty Lucas Gilbreath, who made his first appearance since Aug. 26, 2022.
Rookie closer Victor Vodnik rebounded from his blown save in Tuesday night’s 4-3 loss at Arizona and blanked the Padres in the ninth, although he did give up a hit and a walk.
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Freeland, who will likely pair up with rookie catcher Drew Romo in Romo’s debut, has made six quality starts in nine games since coming off the 60-day injured list, where he was mending from an elbow strain. He’s gone 3-1 with a 3.48 ERA over that span. However, Freeland was forced out of his last two starts because of blisters on the fingers of his pitching hand. Freeland has made 23 career appearances (21 starts) vs. the Padres, going 7-7 with a 4.37 ERA.
Cease, who no-hit the Nationals on July 26, can dominate any opposing lineup. But the veteran right-hander was not sharp last Sunday against Miami when he gave up five runs (two earned) on six hits and two walks over five innings. He fanned five. Cease, who took the loss, got off to a poor start, giving up four singles in the Marlins’ two-run first inning. A shaky San Diego defense didn’t help Cease. Sunday’s loss was Cease’s first since July 7, and it broke a streak of five consecutive appearances allowing no more than one run. In four career starts vs. the Rockies, Cease is 1-2 with a 4.43 ERA. He’s made two starts at Coors Field, going 1-0 with a 3.86 ERA.
Pitching probables
Sunday: Padres RHP Joe Musgrove (3-4, 5.20) at Rockies RHP Bradley Blalock (0-0, 4.05), 1:10 p.m.
