DENVER – Rockies utility man Tyler Freeman left Monday night’s 12-3 loss to the Dodgers after the bottom of the first inning because of illness.
Freeman started in right field and caught Will Smith’s first-inning fly ball. But TJ Rumfield replaced him as a pinch-hitter in the No. 4 spot in the order in the bottom of the first.
A sparkplug type who puts balls in play, Freeman entered the night with a .294 batting average and five RBIs through his first 11 appearances. Freeman began the year on the injured list with a back injury that had bothered him throughout the offseason and has had to rest on occasion, but when available he has been one of the team’s better hitters.
His hitting profile does not scream cleanup man. But manager Warren Schaeffer used him there with a mostly right-handed lineup against Dodgers left-hander Justin Wrobleski on Monday night.