DENVER -- Was Saturday night merely the establishment of Rockies left-hander Kyle Freeland as a slow starter or a growing problem?
Freeland gave up a career single-game high three home runs, all in the second and third innings, and a career-high eight runs total in six innings of a 9-2 loss to the D-backs at Coors Field.
The struggles of Freeland and lefty Tyler Anderson, who was optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque on Saturday, are among the reasons the Rockies have lost five of their last seven after a two-week surge.
Freeland’s second start since returning from a left middle finger blister on Saturday was much like his first. On Monday in Milwaukee, he gave up a homer and four first-inning runs total. On Saturday, the D-backs’ Nick Ahmed homered for two runs, and Carson Kelly followed with his first career homer in a three-run second, and David Peralta parked a three-run shot in the third.
“We were up in the zone way too much, and missing in the middle of the zone, and that’s not good,” said Freeland, sniffling through allergies, although he insisted that they didn’t affect him.
Manager Bud Black concurred that the problem was just that simple.
“There were a few too many pitches left out over the plate that were hit for home runs,” Black said. “The pitch to Ahmed, I’ve got to go look at it, but it looked like that was sort of in off the plate, but it was up, and he sort of bailed and got the head to it. The next two homers, to Kelly and Peralta, were balls up. The hanging slider to Peralta, that was the backbreaker.”
As was the case in Milwaukee, Freeland stayed in the game and didn’t give up much more. Still, Freeland walked away with a 2-5 record and a 5.90 ERA -- a far cry from last year, when he went 17-7 with a 2.85 ERA in 33 starts and finished fourth in National League Cy Young Award voting.
Or, is it all that different?
Through the same number of starts (six) last season, Freeland was 2-4 with a 3.95 ERA. But this year, Freeland’s ERA and his blister situation are new problems.
“That’s something I’ve gotta figure out,” Freeland said.
Black said he is not going to label Freeland a slow starter.
“Every year is different,” Black said. “I think the blister a couple starts ago had an impact, but I’m not drawing any comparisons. As long as Kyle’s healthy and he feels good, you’ll see overall good pitching over the long haul.”
Freeland certainly needed to be better on Saturday. The Rockies’ offense had its hands full with D-backs righty Luke Weaver, who went seven innings, struck out eight and held the Rockies to one run on three hits.
“Those two innings, I was up in the zone, missing my locations, didn’t have command of my fastball,” said Freeland, who at least preserved relief arms by giving up just one run from innings 4-6. “When they jump out to an early lead like that, you’re obviously aware that the next however many innings you’re going to throw, they’re going to be aggressive. It makes it a little easier to pitch to contact if you can get your stuff down.”