PHILADELPHIA — Rockies manager Bud Black is confident that left-hander Kyle Freeland will figure things out, but it won’t be easy, because there are plenty of issues to resolve.
After pitching just 1u2154 innings Sunday in the Rockies’ 7-5 loss to the Phillies — his shortest big-league start that didn’t involve an injury — Freeland has a 6.02 ERA after 10 starts. That’s a huge disappointment after going 17-7 with a 2.85 ERA last season.
So what are the issues? According to Black and Freeland, they include:
— Lack of precise pitch command, which was essential to Freeland’s success last season.