Colorado Rockies left-hander Kyle Freeland was out for more than two months this season with a strained left elbow, but the time off has helped him find some consistency.
Freeland is 1-0 with a 1.71 ERA in four starts since coming off the injured list. He will try to build on that success when he takes the mound Saturday night against the San Francisco Giants in Denver.
Freeland (1-3, 6.00 ERA) will make his 23rd career start against the Giants, who will send right-hander Logan Webb (7-7, 3.47) to the mound on Saturday.
The Rockies rallied to win the opener of the series 7-3 on Friday night.
Freeland’s recent success is reminiscent of his career year and gives him reason to believe he can put the last five seasons in the past. He was 17-7 with a 2.85 ERA in 2018, but since then, the lefty has struggled. He has 28 wins since that season while battling injuries and inconsistency.
His outings since his return on June 23 have been encouraging. He pitched into the seventh inning in three of his four starts, allowed a total of five earned runs, and is coming off a nine-strikeout performance at Cincinnati on July 10.
“He’s very capable of that, stringing solid starts together,” Colorado manager Bud Black said after the 6-5 win over the Reds on July 10. “Kyle leads our pack because of who he is and his tenure here. It’s really good to see him pitch like this.”
Freeland’s ERA when he was placed on the injured list on April 19 was 13.21, and he has shaved 7.21 off that mark. In his 22 career outings against the Giants, he is 7-6 with a 3.93 ERA.
San Francisco hopes to reverse a trend that has hampered the franchise recently — losing records after the All-Star break. Two years ago, the Giants opened the second half by losing seven straight games, and last season they were 30-42 in the second half.
Friday night wasn’t a good start against a team they had won five of the first six games from in 2024. San Francisco entered Friday night 20-9 at Coors Field since the start of the 2021 season but couldn’t hold a 3-0 lead against homer-happy Colorado.
The Rockies have nine home runs in the last two games, three each by Michael Toglia and Ezequiel Tovar.
Webb will be asked to cool the Rockies’ bats on Saturday night. The staff ace is coming off his first All-Star Game appearance but hopes his start is better than his one inning against the American League on Tuesday night.
Webb gave up the NL’s 3-0 lead when he allowed three runs in the third inning and walked a batter. He acknowledged that coming out of the bullpen had an impact.
“My first inning is usually my worst inning,” he told the San Francisco Chronicle on Tuesday night. “I think I wasted a few bullets in the bullpen.”
Colorado knows how effective Webb can be when he does start. He is 8-2 with 3.05 ERA in 15 career appearances (14 starts) against the Rockies.
