Freeland makes strong debut as Rockies edge Dodgers
DENVER -- Kyle Freeland rose to the momentous occasion Friday, and the Colorado Rockies beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 2-1 in their home opener.
In his major league debut, Freeland held the Dodgers to one run and four hits in six innings. The Denver native eased out of trouble in the first inning, retired the final seven batters he faced and got 10 outs on ground balls.
Nolan Arenado doubled home a run in the first inning for the Rockies, and Dustin Garneau put them ahead when he hit his first homer in the fifth.
The left-handed Freeland, who turns 24 next month, retired the first two batters he faced but ended up throwing 26 pitches in the first and just 12 for strikes before escaping unscathed. He loaded the bases with two walks following Justin Turner's single but got Yasmani Grandal to hit into a force play.
The Dodgers' run against Freeland (1-0) came on Enrique Hernandez's groundout in the fourth, which Scott Van Slyke opened with a double.
Third baseman Arenado saved Freeland a run when he made a diving stop on a hard grounder hit by Yasiel Puig after Turner doubled with two outs.
Dodgers starter Hyun-Jin Ryu appeared in just one game over the past two seasons - July 7, 2016 - due to shoulder and elbow injuries. He gave up a run in the first when Arenado, whose ninth-inning homer Thursday at Milwaukee gave the Rockies a 2-1 victory, lined a double into the left-field corner, following back-to-back singles by DJ LeMahieu and Carlos Gonzalez.
Rockies manager Bud Black rewarded back-up catcher Garneau with his second straight start because Garneau had two hits Thursday and he provided another right-handed bat against the left-handed Ryu (0-1).
That thinking paid off when Garneau belted Ryu's first pitch of the fifth, an 89 mph fastball, for his first homer, to make it 2-1.
After giving up those three hits in the first, Ryu didn't allow another until the fifth, when he left with two outs after throwing 77 pitches in his comeback start.
Carlos Estevez and Scott Oberg each worked a scoreless inning before Black turned to left-hander Jake McGee for the ninth. He gave up a hit to the only batter he faced Tuesday in his first outing of the season. But McGee struck out the side to preserve Freeland's first victory.
The Rockies won four of their first five games, all by two or fewer runs. Their bullpen, whose 5.13 ERA last season was the worst in the majors, has a 1.56 ERA so far in 2017.
NOTES: Dodgers LHP Rich Hill (left middle finger blister) was placed on the 10-day disabled list retroactive to Thursday. ... Los Angeles RHP Josh Fields was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City. ... Dodgers SS Corey Seager and 1B Adrian Gonzalez were not in the starting lineup but both played. ... Rockies LF Stephen Cardullo made his first start after three pinch-hitting appearances. ... Colorado LHP Kyle Freeland made his major league debut, marking the first time in franchise history the Rockies have had two starters make their major league debuts in franchise history. RHP Antonio Senzatela started Thursday. ... Colorado RHP Miguel Castro, who was designated for assignment on April 2, was traded to the Baltimore Orioles for a player to be named later or cash considerations. ... Rockies RHP Chad Qualls (right forearm tightness) is scheduled to throw 20-25 pitches Saturday in a simulated game. If all goes well, he could then begin a minor league rehab assignment.