Kyle-On

 

I think it's, at the very least, an impressive achievement for the Rockies to have 3 guys in the rotation that have been there for 7 seasons. A pitching climate like this is subject to a quick turnaround, and even guys like Aaron Cook, Jeff Francis and Ubaldo Jimenez, that stayed for a while, eventually had to get out. Meanwhile, Marquez, Freeland and Senzatela are still Rockies starters.

Now...granted, Kyle Freeland is only one that's currently healthy, but...the other two are still Rockies [against all odds, honestly].

Freeland is, thankfully, having his best season in a while. Not that he's been bad since 2018, his breakthrough season, but he hasn't been the same. This current climate, you have as good of a season as Freeland's 2018 and your arm is gonna take a while til you're back there. Not every pitcher is Justin Verlander and can do that every year til 35. Freeland was injured for part of 2019 and 2021, and has at least been more consistent since then, especially last year, but his 2023 start, where he's already sporting a 1.4 WAR with 2 wins and a 0.96 ERA through 3 starts, is his best stuff in years.

I think what's obvious is, because of the altered emphasis, Freeland's not striking out as many guys as he was in 2018, because I think starters are beginning to realize that it's not wise to throw as hard as that if they want 15-year careers. Freeland has only struck out 11 guys through his first 3 starts, which, compared to Gerrit Cole's numbers through 3, isn't much at all. The bottom line is he's still efficient, even if the occasional hitter [in last night's case, Andrew McCutchen] can get the best of him. And with the Rockies now stuck starting people like Jose Urena, Austin Gomber and Ryan Feltner for a while, they need somebody like Freeland who can be consistent and reliable. With all his post-2018 struggles, I'm glad he can be that guy again.

Other than that, not a ton of true triumphs for this Rockies team. Elehuris Montero's hitting well, Blackmon's at least spending the last year of his contract contact-hitting, Bryant's apparently an enemy of the statisticians and Noah Davis delivered some intriguing stuff in his 2023 debut. Not close to the rest of the pack but not terrible. I think they have enough to escape 100 losses, but time will tell if that ends up being accurate.

Coming Tonight: A guy that already has 20 RBIs.