DENVER — The Colorado Kid rose to the occasion.
Left-hander Kyle Freeland, a Denver native, pitched 6 2/3 scoreless innings Thursday afternoon at Coors Field in the Rockies’ 1-0 home-opening victory over Washington.
A sellout crowd of 48,230 saw the Thomas Jefferson High graduate keep the Nationals guessing.
Colorado’s offense was quiet but it scored the only run it needed in the fifth. Rookie shortstop Ezequiel Tovar reached on a double to right field when Lane Thomas lost the ball in the sun. Tovar scored on Kris Bryant’s single to left. Bryant has a hit in all seven games to open the season.
Freeland, the first pitcher in Rockies history to start three home openers, was superb. He scattered four hits, struck out five and walked two. He didn’t allow a Nationals runner to get past first base.
Freeland is unscored upon over his first two games and has allowed just seven hits over 12 2/3 innings.
Manager Bud Black pulled Freeland after Jeimer Canderlario whistled a base hit up the middle with two outs in the seventh. Freeland departed to a standing ovation and then watched right-hander Justin Lawrence close out the inning.
Freeland received a huge boost from his defense, especially new left fielder Jurickson Profar. In the first inning, Profar made a leaping catch at the base of the wall to rob Jeimer Canelario of a hit. In the second, Profar sprinted into shallow left-center and made a diving catch on Luis Garcia’s dying line drive for the final out of the inning. In the fifth, Profar made a sliding catch on Victor Robles’ blooper.
Freeland also got an assist from catcher Elias Diaz, who threw out CJ Abrams attempting to steal second in the third inning.
Colorado native Pierce Johnson closed out the game for the second save of his career.
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