Rockies waste Kyle Freeland’s strong start, strike out 14 times in loss to Phillies

You gotta wonder if Kyle Freeland was born under a bad sign. Because, once again, if it wasn’t for bad luck, he would have no luck at all.

The veteran lefty pitched his heart out Wednesday night, but once again, the Rockies were left singing the blues after a 5-1 loss to the Phillies at Citizens Bank Ballpark.

Freeland was charged with three runs on nine hits, but his line doesn’t tell the whole story. The Phillies dinked and dunked their way to those runs on a frigid night when the baseball gods smiled down on them.

And on a night when the Phillies had ace Zack Wheeler on the mound.

The right-hander dominated the scuffling Rockies hitters, striking out 10, walking none, and allowing just three hits over seven innings. The one run Wheeler allowed came on a solo homer by catcher Hunter Goodman in the seventh. Goodman also hit a double in the ninth, accounting for two of the Rockies’ four hits.

“Good pitching from the starters tonight, for sure,” manager Bud Black told reporters in Philadelphia. “Wheeler, for me, is one of the best five pitchers in the game. He’s a legit No. 1.  And Kyle matched him. Kyle did great.”

Colorado continues to receive excellent starting pitching, but it’s been paired with a powerless, strikeout-prone offense. The Rockies, who fell to 1-4, struck out 14 times, bringing their season total to 58 over five games for a 32.9% strikeout rate.

To make things worse, they have hit only three homers in their first five games.

First baseman Michael Toglia led the whiff parade. He fanned four times and has just one hit this season for a .056 average (1 for 18). He’s struck out 11 times in 19 plate appearances (57.9%).

“It was a combination,” Black said when asked if the Rockies’ struggles at the plate had to do with Wheeler or their poor approach. “Wheeler is really good. As a group, we are not swinging the bats great.”

Freeland, meanwhile, showed his mettle.

His ferocity was on full display in the fifth. Philly packed the bases with three singles, including a bunt by Johan Rojas in which no one covered first for the Rockies and an infield hit to third by Trea Turner.

With no outs, the heart of the Phillies’ order (Bryce Harper, Alec Bohm and Kyle Schwarber) stepped up to the plate. Freeland struck them all out, swinging. The lefty let loose with a primal scream as he departed the mound.

Philly took a 2-0 lead in the fourth. Bohm led off with a solid single up the middle and scored on Schwarber’s excuse-me double down the left-field line. Schwarber was fooled by Freeland’s sinker but got wood on the ball. Schwarber advanced to third on Nick Castellanos’ groundout to second and then scored on J.T. Realmuto’s swinging bunt in front of the plate. Freeland covered home plate and was upended by Schwarber as Freeland tried to make the tag on a throw back to the plate from Toglia.