The Colorado Rockies dropped their Opening Day ballgame against the Tampa Bay Rays, in the New York Yankees Spring Training facility, by a score of 3-2.

They held the lead for much of the game but blew their first save of the season in the seventh and were walked off in the bottom of the ninth on a home run by Kameron Misner.

Here are your first three ups, and downs, of 2025.

Up: Kyle Freeland

The biggest bright spot of the day goes to Kyle Freeland who made his fourth Opening Day start and redeemed himself from a nightmare of a game a year ago. This time out he went a stupendous six innings, allowing just a pair of hits, zero runs, and zero walks. On top of that, the southpaw used solid fastball command and his new sweeping slider to earn himself seven strikeouts. He was extremely efficient, throwing a grand total of 67 pitches and even just a bit deeper into the season would almost certainly have gone much deeper into the game.

If the Rockies are going to outpace their preseason predictions, they will need the starting rotation to beat expectations and this is a good start from Freeland who has been consistent but still trending downward the past few years.

Down: 12 Strikeouts

The offense wasn’t totally inept, tallying two runs on seven hits, but the Rockies have so far picked up right where they left off in terms of swinging and missing. Brenton Doyle and Michael Toglia each had the hat trick (3 Ks) and veteran Nick Martini had a pair while only Ryan McMahon and Hunter Goodman kept themselves out of that column altogether. Kris Bryant had only one strikeout on the day but it came in a spot with a chance to score runs without a hit, adding salt to the wound.

This is an area the Rockies absolutely must improve if they are to improve overall.

Up: Ryan McMahon, Ezequiel Tovar, and Hunter Goodman

Recording all seven Rockies hits, Ryan McMahon, Ezequiel Tovar, and Hunter Goodman got their seasons started on the right foot. McMahon was the high-man on the day with three hits and the aforementioned zero strikeouts.

Tovar got the team on the board in the top of the third with his first of what we should expect to be many… many… doubles on the season. McMahon and Goodman each had doubles as well.

Down: Tyler Kinley

Victor Vodnik gave up the final run but had been excellent the inning before. It was Tyler Kinley who let this one slip away, though he ran into a bit of tough luck as well. He started by getting Brandon Lowe to ground toward first but Michael Toglia missed on a play he normally makes and the leadoff hitter was aboard. He then got Junior Cominero out in front a bit to make some weak contact but it fell into just the right place for a double to left. He got pretty well tagged on a Jonathan Aranda fly to deep right that went down as a sac fly, walked Danny Jansen, then gave up the game-tying single to Jose Caballero.

Up: Angel Chivilli

Inheriting that jam, Angel Chivilli showed out. He did allow a single to the first batter he faced, Jonny DeLuca, but it was on a well-placed pitch. With the bases loaded and just one out in a tie game, he focused in and threw some fantastic 97 MPH fastballs on the edges and bottom of the strike zone. He got a massive punchout of Taylor Walls then, in a bit of a bind in a 3-1 count, got Curtis Mead to roll one over to Tovar at short to end the threat.

He didn’t have the best feel or command for his offspeed stuff in this one but showed that his a-pitch can be a weapon in late innings.

Down: Getting Walked Off

As mentioned, Victor Vodnik pitched an excellent eighth but he was sent back out there in the ninth and only got one pitch. It wasn’t terrible, working its way inside but Misner turned on it and hit a laser line drive to right that cleared the fence. In the long term, it likely (and hopefully for the Rockies) wont’ mean much for the long-term projections of Vodnik but it’s just never fun to lose a ballgame on the very last pitch.

What’s Next: Rockies @ Rays 2:10 MT

These two teams will go at it again on Saturday March 29, 2:10 MT.

Antonio Senzatela looks to follow up a strong spring and find some of his old magic, finally feeling healthy after a long couple of years dealing with injury. The Rays send righty Zach Littell to the hill. He posted a 3.63 ERA in 156.1 innings last season for Tampa.