Maybe it was the spring-like cool, cloudy day that activated Rockies right-hander Antonio Senzatela’s game face. Maybe it’s the Dodgers looming early on the April calendar. Or it could be that stuff has already gotten serious with Kyle Freeland expected to miss around two months.

Before starting in Colorado’s 5-4 loss to Cleveland at Goodyear, Ariz., on Friday, Senzatela told catcher Elias Díaz, “Hey, we need to throw like a regular game.”

A serious Senzatela shut down Cleveland, surrendering just one run -- a José Ramírez first-inning homer -- on two hits in five innings, with 10 groundouts (one of them a double play) and three strikeouts to one walk. After throwing 57 pitches in the game, Senzatela threw 25 more in the bullpen -- pretending he was facing real hitters with real ball-and-strike counts.

It was the second Cactus League start and third overall (one a “B” game) for Senzatela, who missed early action with a right hamstring strain. All have been solid in terms of ball-strike performance. But with the exception of a mistake fastball to Ramírez, Friday bordered on dominant.

Senzatela demonstrated his growing pitch mix. After being dependent on an unusual four-seam fastball from 2017-19, Senzatela saw progress with his slider in '20 and he began to see results with his changeup. The diversity led to a 5-3 record and a 3.44 ERA across 12 starts. His 151 ERA+, according to Baseball Reference, led the Rockies.

After avoiding arbitration with a one-year, $3 million contract this winter in his first year of eligibility, Senzatela’s goal was to develop a more effective changeup. While the action of the pitch and the results were solid last season, Senzatela gave up hard contact that didn’t hurt him, but that could eventually catch up to him. The theory was the pitch was predictable.

After Sunday’s start against the Royals, when he gave up two runs and eight hits in 3 2/3 innings, Senzatela's goal was to mix pitches better. He accomplished just that against Cleveland.

“My fastball was good, downhill, and all my breaking pitches were there -- every time I went down, they’d swing and put the ball on the ground,” Senzatela said.

Senzatela was slated to make his first 2021 start on April 6 against the D-backs at Coors Field, but Freeland’s injury means the Rockies will likely manipulate Senzatela's schedule so he can pitch against the Dodgers on April 4. German Márquez, Jon Gray and Austin Gomber are in line for April 1-3 in the season-opening series at Coors Field.

• Rockies' 2021 regular-season schedule

If Senzatela faces the Dodgers, it means the Rockies will begin the season with four starters and will not need a fifth -- Chi Chi González is the favorite, based on his spring -- until April 10 at San Francisco.

Senzatela said the rotation -- expected to be the Rockies’ strength as they look for a rebound from the bullpen and development of their lesser-accomplished offensive players -- is confident, even if Freeland will have to join later.

“We feel bad for Free, but these things happen,” Senzatela said. “Everybody is like, 'OK, we need to throw the best game we can, and wait for Free.’ We know it’s going to be quick. He’s strong. He’s a good man. We don’t talk too much about that, but everybody is in a good place.”

Getting closer
Righty reliever Tyler Kinley missed much of the spring with a left oblique strain, but manager Bud Black’s optimism that he’ll be ready for Opening Day grew after Kinley’s scoreless inning (one strikeout) on Thursday against the Angels.

Kinley gives the bullpen a late-innings power arm with a slider that makes him effective against left-handed hitters. Additionally, Kinley’s developing changeup looked solid against the Angels.

“To our critical eye, the coaches from the bench, he looked outstanding,” Black said.

Bullpen update
Against Cleveland on Friday, Rule 5 Draft pick Jordan Sheffield gave up one hit and one run (an over-the-shoulder catch in center by Garrett Hampson saved a run). He kept his 97 mph fastball in the strike zone. … Righty Robert Stephenson had his second straight scoreless outing, not yielding a walk for the first time in seven games. … Jairo Díaz’s disappointing spring numbers inflated more (11.42 ERA) on Friday thanks to a mistake pitch that Cleveland's No. 18 prospect Owen Miller swatted for a three-run homer in the eighth. Díaz yielded three runs on four hits and struck out two in his inning.

Swinging for jobs
No. 11 Rockies prospect Colton Welker, 23, continued his bid for the Opening Day roster by going 2-for-4 on Friday. Welker has a .366 batting average and a .512 slugging percentage in 24 contests. … No. 16 prospect Yonathan Daza, who is out of Minor League options, went 1-for-2 with one walk and is at a solid .378 this spring. Black has been testing him against top pitchers.