Kyle Freeland may be leading the charge for one of the Rockies’ two final rotation spots, but his claim on one of those cherished roles might not be so tight after a shaky outing on Monday against the Texas Rangers. The 23-year-old left-hander battled command issues all day en route to a 6-5 loss.
“Command definitely wasn’t there,” Freeland said postgame. “It was one of those games where nothing came with ease. I had to battle every single hitter – was around the zone with competitive pitches – but again, command wasn’t really dialed in.”
Freeland, a graduate of Denver’s Thomas Jefferson High School, allowed four runs, all earned, on seven hits and three walks over 4.2 innings. He struck out five and allowed a leadoff home run to Mike Napoli in the fourth inning. Freeland threw 94 pitches, 56 for strikes, on Monday in his longest outing of the spring. It was only the second time in Cactus League play that Freeland has surrendered more than one run in a game.
Manager Bud Black acknowledged the young lefty’s struggles with command.
“Yeah, I thought that his control and command was not how we’ve seen it the previous three games,” Black said.
In Freeland’s previous three outings he allowed just one run total over 12 innings pitched. He struck out 12 to just one walk over that span.
“But he battled,” Black continued. “He made some, certain pitches when he had to. He got the ball up in general when they hit him. When he got the ball down, he produced outs.”
Freeland is one of the final candidates to claim a spot in a Rockies rotation that was thrown for a loop midway through Spring Training when Chad Bettis learned he would have to undergo chemotherapy. Instead of having one open spot on the rotation, Colorado suddenly had two.
The Rockies assigned the player that many thought would claim that fifth rotation spot, Jeff Hoffman, to their Triple-A affiliate last week, leaving Freeland among those still in contention.
Freeland has no MLB experience through his first three years in the pros. He has been on the fast track to the majors, though, since the Rockies drafted him in 2014. In 2016 he split time between Double-A and Triple-A. He was 6-3 with a 3.91 ERA in 12 starts for Albuquerque.
Also still in the running for the two rotation spots are right-handers German Marquez and Antonio Senzatela, and left-hander Harrison Musgrave, who pitched 2.1 scoreless innings in relief of Freeland on Monday. Musgrave snuck into the conversation over the weekend when Black praised the 25-year-old who was 8-7 for Albuquerque last season. Musgrave currently sits fifth on the Rockies’ depth chart, while Marquez has been slotted into the fourth slot.
Colorado opens the season April 3 at Milwaukee.
