Command woes lead to Freeland's shortest start of '23

ARLINGTON -- It was a rough Saturday at the office for Kyle Freeland and the Rockies, as the team fell, 11-5, to the Rangers at Globe Life Field.

Freeland suffered one of the worst starts in Rockies history against Texas. The lefty surrendered eight runs (five earned) on nine hits and failed to record a strikeout in just two innings of work. His outing marked the first time since 2003 that a Rockies pitcher allowed eight or more runs in two or fewer innings without recording a strikeout, and it was just the sixth time in franchise history that has happened.

“I just didn’t execute well,” Freeland said. “I didn’t have command of where I wanted the ball to go today. I wish I was able to find [my command] after the first inning, but I just couldn’t. It wasn’t the pitch-calling or any of that. I just simply could not execute and command the baseball.”

After going 2-1 with a 1.00 ERA over his past three starts entering the matchup against Texas, Freeland never seemed to find his footing against the Rangers. The onslaught started early, as he allowed four hits and four runs in the first inning.

Freeland didn’t fare much better in the second inning, as the Rangers once again tacked on four runs, putting the Rockies in an early 8-0 hole before getting the quick hook.

“I threw everything. … Four-seam [fastball], two-seam [fastball], curveball, slider -- everything was thrown. It was just poorly executed,” Freeland said.

Despite the troublesome start, Freeland noted that he wasn’t feeling any physical discomfort and did not feel as though his mechanics were out of sync either.

“I don’t believe [I got away from my usual mechanics],” Freeland said of his performance. “I felt good going into bullpen. My body felt good going into [the matchup against Texas]. It was just a lack of execution and very poor command.”

Offensively, missed opportunities marred the Rockies, who have now lost three of their last four games.

Perhaps the biggest missed opportunity came in the first inning, when the Rockies failed to score a run after loading the bases with no outs against former Colorado starter Jon Gray.

After a leadoff double by Charlie Blackmon, followed by Jurickson Profar’s single and Kris Bryant’s walk, the Rockies couldn’t record a hit, allowing Gray to escape.

“We had a chance to break through early,” said Rockies manager Bud Black. “[Failing to score with the bases loaded] potentially changes the whole game. Every play changes the complexion of the game, really. If you go revisionist history, every play is dependent on each other.”

Later in the game, trailing by nine runs in the top of the eighth inning, the Rockies loaded the bases for a second time with no outs, and they were able to generate three runs from the rally.

In total, the Rockies, who boasted the third-highest batting average with runners in scoring position entering the game, stranded 10 runners against Texas. Despite the missed chances, Colorado is focused on making the necessary improvements to be more efficient next time out.

“We just have to keep playing hard,” said Harold Castro, who went 2-for-4 with two RBIs. “[We have to] keep fighting and keep putting together good [at-bats]. We know we’re going to get better.”