WASHINGTON -- The Rockies got some good news Sunday, when X-rays on Kyle Freeland’s left ankle came back negative following their 6-5 loss to the Nationals. Freeland suffered only an “impingement” and is expected to avoid the injured list, a relief given the state of Colorado’s struggling and already short-handed rotation.

“I felt a jolt going down my foot,” Freeland said. “I didn’t know what it was. I never had it before. … On the push-off was when I felt it. I couldn’t drive that pitch down, and after that I wasn’t able to put any weight on [the foot] for quite some time.”

Freeland landed awkwardly after delivering a 2-1 pitch to Lane Thomas in the sixth inning, then he had to be helped off the field by Rockies third baseman Ryan McMahon and head trainer Keith Dugger after limping gingerly behind the mound. Freeland was removed after a brief consultation with manager Bud Black and Dugger, prompting concern for a Rockies rotation already weathering a rough stretch from frontline starter Gérman Márquez and playing without right-hander Antonio Senzatela.

“I was hoping I didn’t somehow fracture my foot,” Freeland said.

To Freeland and the Rockies’ happy surprise, the situation is much more benign. The left-hander will be re-evaluated Monday but won’t necessarily require further testing. Should that change, the team’s primary depth consists of righty Ryan Feltner, who is currently filling Senzatela’s spot, and rehabbing righty Peter Lambert. Senzatela’s expected return Wednesday should bolster the unit with the fourth-highest rotation ERA in baseball. 

The Rockies have lost seven straight series and 15 of their last 20 games after starting the season 16-11.

“[Freeland’s] confident he’s going to be fine, and so is the medical staff,” Black said. “When you see that with a pitcher who is an integral part of your rotation, you take a deep breath. Nothing, originally, when I first saw it, stood out. Then we went out there, I asked if he rolled his ankle. He said no. ‘Is this a knee?’ He said no. From that point, I felt OK. But you never know until you get the results back. But medically, everything seems to be moving in the right direction.”

A rotation staple since 2017, Freeland fell to 1-5 with a 4.96 ERA in his 10 starts, though the results had been much better away from Coors Field before he was charged with five earned runs in 5 ⅔ innings Sunday. Two of those runs came on Lane Thomas’ home run off Robert Stephenson two pitches after Freeland departed. His main support Sunday came in the form of Charlie Blackmon’s 38th career leadoff home run, which moved Blackmon ahead of Ichiro Suzuki and into sole possession of ninth place on the all-time list. Blackmon ranks second among active players in that category, behind only Blue Jays center fielder George Springer, who has 48.

“My arm didn’t feel the greatest today,” Freeland said. “I did everything I could to get going and keep the team in it, but the crispness and the sharpness was not there, especially on the fastball early. The changeup wasn’t there at all. It was one of those days that wasn’t crisp and I had to battle a lot of things.”

That led to an unusual outing for Freeland even before the injury. The starter's velocity was down across the board, and he eschewed his slider almost entirely, despite using it more than any other pitch in his first nine starts of the season. Notably, his four-seam fastball averaged 88.8 mph per Statcast, almost 1.7 mph down from his season average. His sinker was down almost 3 mph.

“There are times over 33 starts, where you might not have your crispness,” Black said.

Juan Soto’s first-inning homer also continued a concerning trend against left-handed batters, who are hitting Freeland better than righties for the second consecutive season. The southpaw has already allowed three homers to lefties in 10 starts, one fewer than the four they managed off him last year in 23 starts.