Colorado squanders Freeland gem in loss

Padres 1, Rockies zilch.

This one’s going to leave a mark, especially since the Rockies wasted a superb start by Kyle Freeland.

The Padres won in walk- off fashion Monday night in San Diego on Jurickson Profar’s gamewinning double off Carlos Estevez

to score pinch- runner Jorge Mateo from first. Mateo was running for Greg Garcia, who led off the inning with a pinch- hit single.

Freeland gave the Rockies everything they needed, throwing six scoreless innings, giving up three hits ( all singles), striking out six and walking three. He left the game having thrown 99 pitches ( 56 for strikes).

The Padres’ Dinelson Lamet, unleashing his nasty slider, dominated the Rockies for 7M scoreless innings, striking out 11 and allowing six hits. He did not walk a batter and whittled his ERA down to 2.24.

The Rockies were actually fortunate to be in the game into the ninth.

“The Great Escape” is a classic 1963 World War II film, starring Steve McQueen, but it applied to the Rockies in the seventh.

The Padres loaded the bases on a rare throwing error by seventime Gold Glove third baseman Nolan Arenado, followed by a single by Profar. A delayed double steal put men on second and third and reliever Yency Almonte drilled Fernando Tatis Jr. to load the bases.

Arenado redeemed himself when he gloved Manny Machado’s broken- bat liner and fired to first to double- up Tatis for an inningending double play.

Freeland’s money pitch this season has been his changeup, but it was his fastball, curve and especially his slider, that confounded the Padres.

Freeland was 2- 1 with a 2.87 ERA over his first six starts this season but posted no decisions with an 11.37 ERA over his last two outings.