DENVER — On opening day 2.0, three months after the season started, the Rockies did their best to present all of the opening day fanfare.
But try as they might to recreate it, with flyovers and giant flags, this day, the first with full capacity allowed at Coors Field since 2019, is not a do-over for the Rockies. They are still victims of their 31-47 record, including going 1-4 on their last road trip.
This day, though, did have some things to celebrate. The Rockies, who have a .610 winning percentage at Coors Field, got a 2-0 win over the Pirates, who at 29-47 are in the basement of the NL Central.
They did it with five scoreless innings from starting pitcher Kyle Freeland, and a surprisingly strong performance from their bullpen. For Freeland, it was a second solid start in a row after a slow start when he came back from an injury in May.
“Definitely a breath of fresh air to be able to go out and pitch the way I want to pitch,” he said. “It’s nice to get that breathing room and that feeling back of this is how I’m supposed to pitch.”
But Freeland was removed from the game in the bottom of the fifth, with what they believe is just a cramp. After reaching first base via an error, Freeland was heading to third after a Yonathan Daza double when he appeared to stutter step. A trainer came out to look at him, and he was able to leave the game on his own power without any sign of a limp. Still, it was a scary scene for a team missing one starter (Austin Gomber, forearm) and for Freeland, who missed the first two months of the season with a shoulder strain.
On the heels of a disastrous weekend for the bullpen, which allowed 17 runs in a three-game series against Milwaukee, the relieving corps was suddenly tasked with getting through four innings. They had a meeting prior to the game, where they reminded each other to pitch to their strengths and to attack where their stuff plays best.
“I think we executed that pretty well,” Daniel Bard.
They did just that — with Tyler Kinley getting things started by tossing a scoreless sixth with two strikeouts. Jhoulys Chacín, who has pitched as many times in June as in April and May combined, allowed just one hit in the seventh. Carlos Estévez and Bard wrapped up the win.
“They all performed,” Black said. “It’s a good formula as long as the guys in the pen do their job and today they did.”
Raimel Tapia scored the first run for the Rockies, off a RBI triple from Daza. In the past 12 games, Daza has advanced Tapia 13 times. Six of those times Tapia has scored.
Elias Díaz hit a homer to center field, his third of the year. After a lackluster hitting performance in the first half of the season, Díaz has mustered a hit in each of the past three games. His plate discipline has improved — he’s squaring up better and isn’t wildly swinging at pitches. His walk rate has also increased.
This content was originally published here.