On Opening Day, Kyle Freeland threw an astonishing six-inning scoreless gem with two hits and seven strikeouts with just 67 pitches, 54 of which were strikes. Freeland told manager Bud Black he was “a little winded,” and he was pulled.
The bullpen went on to give up three runs and the Rockies lost to the Rays 3-2. The reliever downfall has been a trend in all three losses as Colorado has an MLB-worse 10.80 ERA, largely due to the six runs given up in the final two innings after six scoreless innings from Germán Márquez in Monday’s 6-1 loss to the Phillies.