Rockies win fourth straight series behind Freeland’s gutsy outing

DENVER – Everyone in the Colorado Rockies clubhouse likes the days when Kyle Freeland pitches. And this was one of those days.

Reeling just a few days ago from having lost nine straight at home to division rivals, the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Rockies fed off the energy of their young starter to win the game 5-1 and take their fourth straight series.

The bullpen allowed just two baserunners—both coming against inarguably their best reliever—and the offense wore down Robbie Ray until finally breaking through late with some clutch pinch-hitting.

It wasn’t the best outing of Freeland’s season, but it might have been the gutsiest. Battling all afternoon with a determined Diamondbacks lineup, he needed every pitch in his arsenal to get through just over five innings, but every time he had a chance to fold, he instead rose to the moment.

The battle began right away.

Freeland got ahead of Jon Jay 1-2 but a pitch ran too far inside and plunked him in the first at-bat of the game. As almost always seems to happen when the leadoff man gets aboard by means other than a hit, he came around to score on a pair of well struck, but still perfectly placed groundball singles from Paul Goldschmidt and A.J. Pollock.