Things got off to a bad start for the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday afternoon at Coors Field when rookie Kyle Freeland allowed four runs before he had recorded two outs. Things didn’t get any better after nine innings when the Rockies had failed to plate a run. Colorado dropped the rubber match of their three-game series with the Padres, 6-0, to fall to 6-4 on the season and 3-3 at Coors Field.
Freeland dazzled in his MLB debut last Friday, but struggled early against the Padres. Three San Diego batters had reached base and two had score before Freeland retired Hunter Renfroe. Another pair of runs would score in a four-run first inning. Against the Dodgers in the home opener, Los Angeles scored just one run in six innings. On Wednesday he allowed six earned in 4.2 innings pitched. Jordan Lyles, Jake McGee and Scott Oberg combined to throw 4.1 scoreless innings in relief to give the Rockies a puncher’s chance.
Unfortunately, the offense had no answers for Zach Lee, also making his second MLB start (his first, a loss, came in 2015 with the Dodgers). Lee allowed just two hits, both to Charlie Blackmon, in 5.1 innings. Colorado would muster just one more base hit, a double by Carlos Gonzalez, in the game. As a team, Colorado drew six walks in the loss.
The Rockies scored just six runs in the series against San Diego and was shut out for the first time in 2017. Colorado hit just .166 as a team in the three-game set. They now depart for San Francisco for a four-game series with the Giants. Jon Gray is scheduled to face Madison Bumgarner in the opener on Thursday. First pitch is at 8:15 p.m. MDT on Thursday.
