GOODYEAR, Ariz. — A Rockies-heavy crowd along the first-base line here Friday night chirped into a racket in the fourth inning. That is when Denver-native Kyle Freeland entered the game. The 23-year-old left-hander, with a friends and family contingent on hand, breezed through the host Reds and Colorado downed Cincinnati, 5-4, in a Cactus League game.
Freeland struck out two in the seventh, ending his 3-inning outing with just one hit allowed. He forced two double plays and faced the minimum nine batters.
“I was in the groove from the get-go,” Freeland said. The former Thomas Jefferson High star finished a partial season at Triple-A Albuquerque last year with a 3.