Kyle Freeland set the tone, Sam Hilliard provided the juice, and the bullpen closed the deal Sunday afternoon in one of the Rockies’ most impressive victories of the season.
Their 4-1 victory over the playoff-bound Brewers at American Family Field earned them a win in the three-game series.
Freeland’s rocky first inning gave no hint of the brilliance to come.
The lefty needed 32 pitches to get through the first inning, his troubles exacerbated by third baseman Ryan McMahon’s throwing error, which allowed Gary Sanchez to reach and Rhys Hoskins to follow up with a bloop single to left to score William Contreras.
But after yielding a one-out single to Issac Collins in the second, Freeland retired the next 14 hitters he faced. The lefty pitched six innings, giving up one unearned run on three hits and no walks. He struck out four. Freeland needed just 57 pitches over his final five frames.
Rookie relievers Seth Halvorsen, Angel Chivilli, and veteran closer Tyler Kinley pitched a perfect inning as the Rockies tied a franchise record by retiring the final 23 hitters to end a game. Kinley notched his 11th save.
Hilliard, getting the start in center in place of Brenton Doyle who’s nursing a sore left hand, beat the odds with his game-clinching three-run homer in the fifth. Brewers manager Pat Murphy pulled struggling starter Freddy Peralta and brought in lefty reliever Hoby Milner to face the left-handed hitting Hilliard. But Hilliard parked Milner’s 1-1, 80 mph sweeper to give Colorado a 4-1 lead.
Colorado’s other run came on a leadoff solo homer by Hunter Goodman in the third, Goodman’s ninth homer.
The Rockies are off on Monday before opening a three-game series at Detroit on Tuesday.
Want more Rockies news? Sign up for the Rockies Insider to get all our MLB analysis.
Link to original article