After having their five-game winning streak snapped on Friday, the Colorado Rockies bounced back behind Kyle Freeland in a 4-2 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday.
Freeland allowed one run over six innings, the Rockies got a pair of home runs from Chris Iannetta and Charlie Blackmon and the bullpen allowed one run in three innings to secure the win.
The win pushed the Rockies lead in the NL West to 1 1⁄2 games over the Dodgers, and they also moved 1⁄2 game ahead of the Cardinals for the second Wild Card spot should they need that route into the postseason.
A Kyle Freeland Game
Rockies starter Kyle Freeland set the tone early, keeping the Dodgers off the board until a Chris Taylor solo home run in the fifth. The homer was the only run Freeland allowed in six innings of work, surrendering just four hits and two walks while striking out eight.
Freeland’s ERA dropped to 2.91 after his start Saturday and the Rockies are 20-9 when he takes the mound, including 12-1 in his last 13 outings.
Charlie Goes Deep
The big blow for the Rockies offensively came in the bottom of the fifth. With the Rockies leading 2-1, catcher Chris Iannetta led off with a double and with one out Charlie Blackmon went deep against Dodgers starter Walker Buehler:
I don't wanna lose your love... pic.twitter.com/208HV2hQT6
— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) September 9, 2018
Blackmon’s 24th homer of the year went 442 feet into the second deck in right field and gave the Rockies two crucial insurance runs.
Looking Ahead
The Rockies will look to win the series and extend their NL West lead Sunday afternoon with Tyler Anderson on the mound against Rich Hill. First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 p.m. Mountain time.