Rockies’ Freeland falters in loss at Phillies
Philadelphia’s Segura blasts homer in fifth
Friday night, after watching German Marquez deftly handle the Phillies in an 11-2 Rockies win, manager Bud Black talked baseball philosophy.
“There’s responsibility for that position. The starting pitcher is the most critical player on the team, every night,” Black said. “His performance, more often than not, dictates whether we win or lose.”
Saturday night, right-hander Zack Wheeler dictated that the Phillies would win. Wheeler dominated the Rockies in a 6-1 victory at Citizens Bank Park, pitching 6 innings of one-run, four-hit baseball. He fanned eight and walked just one.
Meanwhile, Rockies lefty Kyle Freeland, who is faltering in September, didn’t measure up. For the second consecutive start, Freeland
was not sharp. The Phillies reached him for four runs on six hits over six innings, including a solo homer by Jean Segura in the fifth.
But it was the four walks — one intentional, but three in the fourth inning — that hurt Freeland the most. After Segura led off the fourth with a single, Freeland walked three of the next four hitters he faced, with Didi Gregorious' free pass bringing home a run.
The Phillies' three-run fourth was highlighted by a gutsy, old-school surprise by Odúbel Herrera. With two outs and the bases still loaded, Herrera dragged a perfect bunt that dribbled down the third baseline for a two-run double. With third baseman Ryan Mcmahon shaded toward second, the chance was there for Herrera. He took it and threaded the needle past a scrambling Mcmahon, driving in Bryce Harper and Andrew Mccutchen.
In Freeland's last start, he was charged with seven earned runs over 4L innings vs. the Giants at Coors Field. He issued three walks and gave up four home runs. Freeland has served up eight homers over this last five starts after allowing only three homers in his previous 10 starts.
Colorado's lone run came off the bat of Trevor Story in the sixth. He hit a massive, two-out solo homer off Wheeler. Story dropped to one knee and added a flamboyant bat flip after connecting for a 441-foot blast to left field. The ball came off his bat at 107 mph and landed in the second deck. It was Story's 21st homer of the season.
The Rockies had some scoring chances, but squandered them, going 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position.
Philly sewed up the win with solo homers by Brad Miller and Harper in the eighth off right-hander Tyler Kinley.
COL 001 000 — 1
PHI 310 20x — 6 Colorado AB R H BI BB SO Blackmon rf 4 0 1 0 0 1 Rodgers 2b 4 0 0 0 0 1
Story ss 4 1 1 1 0 2
Cron 1b 4 0 1 0 0 1 Mcmahon 3b 3 0 2 0 1 0
Daza cf 4 0 1 0 0 0 Hilliard lf 0 0 0 0 0 0
Tapia lf 2 0 0 0 0 1 Kinley p 0 0 0 0 0 0 Fernández p 0 0 0 0 0 0 c-welker ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 Nuñez c 3 0 0 0 1 2 Freeland p 2 0 1 0 0 1 a-ruiz ph-lf 1 0 0 0 1 0 Totals 32 1 7 1 3 9 Philadelphia AB R H BI BB SO Vierling 1b 3 0 0 0 0 0 b-miller ph-1b 1 1 1 1 1 0 Segura 2b 5 2 2 1 0 0 Harper rf 3 2 1 1 1 0 Mccutchen lf 3 1 2 0 1 1
Neris p 0 0 0 0 0 0 Bradley p 0 0 0 0 0 0 Realmuto c 3 0 0 0 1 2 Gregorius ss 3 0 1 1 1 0 Torreyes 3b 4 0 0 0 0 0 Herrera cf 4 0 2 2 0 0 Wheeler p 3 0 0 0 0 2 Alvarado p 0 0 0 0 0 0 Moniak lf 1 0 0 0 0 1 Totals 33 6 9 6 5 6
a-walked for Freeland in the 7th. b-homered for Vierling in the 7th. c-grounded out for Fernández in the 9th.
E— Gregorius (16), Wheeler (2). LOB — Colorado 8, Philadelphia 8. 2B — Mcmahon 2 (27), Herrera (21), Mccutchen (18). HR — Story (21), off Wheeler; Segura (12), off Freeland; Miller (18), off Kinley; Harper (31), off Kinley. RBIS — Story (68), Gregorius (44), Herrera 2 (46), Segura (50), Miller (44), Harper (71). SB — Herrera (6).
Runners left in scoring position — Colorado 5 (Nuñez, Story, Blackmon 2, Ruiz); Philadelphia 5 (Wheeler 2, Gregorius, Segura 2). RISP — Colorado 0 for 9; Philadelphia 1 for 7.
Runners moved up — Rodgers. LIDP — Nuñez. GIDP — Rodgers, Welker.
DP — Philadelphia 3 (Wheeler, Segura, Vierling; Segura, Gregorius, Segura; Torreyes, Segura, Miller).
Colorado IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Freeland, L, 5
6 5 4 4 4 3 86 4.76 8
Kinley 1 2 2 2 0 2 28 5.04 Fernández 1 2 0 0 1 1 22 14.73 Philadelphia IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Wheeler, W, 6
4 1 1 2 8 101 2.86 13-9
Alvarado, H,
0 0 0 0 0 3 3.80 14
Neris 1 2 0 0 0 1 17 3.21 Bradley 1 1 0 0 1 0 24 3.74
Inherited runners-scored — Alvarado 3-0. IBB — off Freeland (Realmuto). HBP — Wheeler (Hilliard). WP — Wheeler.
Umpires — Home, Mike Estabrook; First, John Libka; Second, Jansen Visconti; Third, Laz Diaz.
T— 3:17. A— 23,232 (42,792).
Colorado, which won the first two games of the fourgame series, will attempt to clinch a rare road series win on Sunday afternoon.