Rockies 4, Dodgers 2: Youngsters get a quality win

The Colorado Rockies played an all around good game, never trailed, and came away with a nice 4-2 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday night. They did so with a young lineup, so it was especially nice to see them get the win.

Kyle Freeland pitched well

There’s only so much Freeland can do to make us feel better about his status going into next season after his struggles in 2019. But we’ll take a silver lining where we can get one, and in a brief start on Saturday night, Freeland provided just that. He did scatter three hits over two innings of work, but ultimately he gave up no runs. He also issued no walks and avoided the home run problem that has plagued him this season. It’s something positive at least.

Nice pitching all around

I see you, Chi Chi González. He might not be considered the most exciting pitcher on the roster, but it seems like every time I write a recap he comes through with a gutsy outing. As the guy who came in after the Rockies used an “opener,” whether that’s what they want to call it or not, González went five innings and struck out eight Dodgers.

From there, he handed things off to Carlos Estévez and Jairo Diaz to close things out. Diaz has sure looked good in the second half and is getting valuable experience as a closer. We are fools to use phrases like “closer of the future,” but here’s hoping Diaz is setting himself up for success in the back of the bullpen next season.

The young guys came through against Walker Buehler

This was a stiff test for a lineup that mostly consisted of young players and prospects. Ryan McMahon started the action with a home run off Buehler. It didn’t look like a shot off the bat, but it was a good swing to hit it the other way and the ball carried out of Dodgers Stadium.

Then, in the seventh inning, Josh Fuentes hit a laser out of left field off Buehler. It was a cool moment for him as the hometown kid.

Elsewhere in the lineup, Garrett Hampson and Raimel Tapia both had nice games mixing things up at the top of the lineup. They got hits, they drew walks, they stole bases. That could be a fun speed combination at the top of the lineup.

Looking ahead

The Rockies wrap up this series against the Dodgers on Sunday. Antonio Senzatela takes the mound against Hyun-Jin Ryu.