Looking for a Rebound? In Freeland Rockies Trust
In the aftermath of a game that got out of hand, and with his Orioles struggling a bit, the late Earl Weaver was asked about regaining momentum.
"Momentum?" he said. "Momentum is the next day's starting pitcher."
Go get `em Kyle Freeland. The Rockies momentum is resting on your shoulders.
Freeland is the Rockies starting pitcher Tuesday night against the Angels.
And of anybody on the staff, do the Rockies really have anyone better to regain the momentum that was lost when the Angels rallied from a 7-5 deficit on Monday night with a five-run eighth inning against the Rockies two most consistent relievers -- Adam Ottovino and Seunghawn Oh -- for a 10-7 win that kept the Rockies from moving into a tie with Arizona for the NL West lead?
Freeland, meanwhile, has been the foundation of the rotation in the Rockies climb from eight games out of first-place in the NL West on the morning of June 29 to one game back on Tuesday morning. The Rockies are 9-1 in Freeland's starts during the resurgence..
Kyle Freeland: A Near Perfect 10
| Date | Opponent | W | L | ERA | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | HB | SO | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 2 | SF | W 5-2 | 1 | 0 | 2.57 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| July 7 | @Sea | W 5-1 | 0 | 0 | 2.25 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| July 12 | Ari | W 5-1 | 0 | 0 | 2.08 | 5.1 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| July 21 | @Ari | W 6-5 | 0 | 0 | 3.22 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 3 |
| July 27 | Oak | W 3-1 | 1 | 0 | 2.54 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 5 |
| Aug. 1 | @StL | L 6-3 | 0 | 1 | 2.94 | 5.1 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 |
| Aug. 5 | Pit | W 2-0 | 1 | 0 | 2.43 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 5 |
| Aug. 11 | LAD | W 3-2 | 0 | 0 | 2.45 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 10 |
| Aug. 17 | @Atl | W 11-5 | 1 | 0 | 2.35 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 9 |
| Aug. 23 | SD | W 4-3 | 0 | 0 | 2.4 | 6.1 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 |
| Totals Team: 9-1 | 4 | 1 | 2.4 | 60 | 51 | 16 | 16 | 4 | 25 | 5 | 55 |
And Freeland, overall, is putting together one of the best seasons ever for a Rockies starting pitcher. Yes, there are 31 games remaining, which would mean at least six more starts for Freeland, but he has only gotten stronger as the season has gone on.
He finds himself in line to be only the second qualifying starting pitcher in franchise history to have a sub-3.00 ERA, and given his success in the last nine works has a shot at setting a record. He also is one of only 10 starting pitchers in franchise history with the innings to qualify for an ERA title to have an ERA below 4.00.
| Player | Season | W | L | Pct | GS | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ubaldo Jimenez | 2010 | 19 | 8 | 0.704 | 33 | 221.2 | 164 | 73 | 71 | 10 | 92 | 214 | 2.88 |
| Kyle Freeland | 2018 | 11 | 7 | 0.611 | 26 | 158.1 | 139 | 52 | 52 | 15 | 57 | 136 | 2.96 |
| Jhoulys Chacin | 2013 | 14 | 10 | 0.583 | 31 | 197.1 | 188 | 82 | 76 | 11 | 61 | 126 | 3.47 |
| Ubaldo Jimenez | 2009 | 15 | 12 | 0.556 | 33 | 218 | 183 | 87 | 84 | 13 | 85 | 198 | 3.47 |
| Jorge De La Rosa | 2013 | 16 | 6 | 0.727 | 30 | 167.2 | 170 | 70 | 65 | 11 | 62 | 112 | 3.49 |
| Jhoulys Chacin | 2011 | 11 | 14 | 0.44 | 31 | 194 | 168 | 87 | 78 | 20 | 87 | 150 | 3.62 |
| Joe Kennedy | 2004 | 9 | 7 | 0.563 | 27 | 162.1 | 163 | 68 | 66 | 17 | 67 | 117 | 3.66 |
| Jason Jennings | 2006 | 9 | 13 | 0.409 | 32 | 212 | 206 | 94 | 89 | 17 | 85 | 142 | 3.78 |
| Aaron Cook | 2008 | 16 | 9 | 0.64 | 32 | 211.1 | 236 | 102 | 93 | 13 | 48 | 96 | 3.96 |
| Ubaldo Jimenez | 2008 | 12 | 12 | 0.5 | 34 | 198.2 | 182 | 97 | 88 | 11 | 103 | 172 | 3.99 |
And he has had no problem making the adjustments of inter-league play. He is 5-0 in seven career starts, the Rockies winning six of those seven games.He has put together quality starts in all seven of his starts.
| Date | Opponent | W | L | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | HB | SO | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5/16/2017 | @Min | W 7-3 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 3 |
| 6/1/2017 | @Sea | W 6-3 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| 6/7/2017 | Cle | W 8-1 | 1 | 0 | 6.1 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| 7/9/2017 | CWS | W 10-0 | 1 | 0 | 8.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 9 |
| 6/16/2018 | @Tex | L 5-2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 7/7/2018 | @Sea | W 5-1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| 7/27/2018 | Oak | W 3-1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 5 |
| W | L | INN | H | R | ER | HR | BB | HB | SO | |||
| Totals: ERA 1.81 | 5 | 0 | 44.2 | 36 | 9 | 9 | 4 | 17 | 5 | 32 |
He has been one of the most successful pitchers in inter-league play since he debuted with the Rockies last year, tied for the lead in victories and winning percentage, and ranking fourth in ERA, virtually tied with No. 3, Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers.
Enjoying Inter-League Moments
| Player | GS | ERA | Player | W | L | GS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Justin Verlander | 8 | 1.68 | Jhoulys Chacin | 5 | 0 | 5 | |
| Trevor Williams | 8 | 1.8 | Patrick Corbin | 5 | 0 | 6 | |
| Clayton Kershaw | 7 | 1.81 | Kyle Freeland | 5 | 0 | 7 | |
| Kyle Freeland | 7 | 1.81 | Clayton Kershaw | 5 | 0 | 7 | |
| Luis Severino | 8 | 1.82 | German Marquez | 5 | 0 | 8 | |
| Patrick Corbin | 6 | 1.87 | Joe Musgrove | 5 | 0 | 4 | |
| Jhoulys Chacin | 5 | 1.99 | Rick Porcello | 4 | 0 | 7 | |
| Charlie Morton | 9 | 2.17 | Eduardo Rodriguez | 4 | 0 | 8 | |
| German Marquez | 8 | 2.29 | Charlie Morton | 5 | 1 | 9 | |
| Zack Greinke | 11 | 2.43 | Jose Urena | 5 | 1 | 8 | |
| Trevor Williams | 5 | 1 | 8 |