Eight innings of no-hit baseball by the Rockies! That’s due to sim Kyle Freeland pitching seven solid innings, overcoming one run in the first, and then the bullpen was perfect as the sim Rockies won 4-1 to complete the sim Detroit sweep. The win also put Colorado back above .500 at 18-17.
Pitching near perfection
Sim Freeland was great. The kind of great that makes you want to see the real Freeland rebound pitching season, whenever that might be. The first inning was dicey, but could have been worse. After Victory Reyes and Harold Castro lead off the bottom of the first with back-to-back singles, they then pulled off a double steal to have runners on second and third with no outs. That’s when the K-Free that we all know and love showed up. He stuck out Miguel Cabrera. CJ Cron then got an RBI infield single (without a diving play by Nolan Arenado, it would have been worse) to put Detroit up 1-0. Cameron Maybin then flied out, leaving runners at first and third with two out. Austin Romine then hit into a fielder’s choice groundout to end the threat. And that’s all to write about for the Tigers’ offense, as it was absent for the rest of the game. Freeland finished with five strikeouts, three hits, and two walks in seven innings. Carlos Estévez got a flyout, strikeout, and groundout in the eighth. Then Tyler Kinley not only was perfect in the ninth, but he also struck out all three Tigers he faced to seal the win.
Offense in many forms
The Tigers’ 1-0 lead lasted until the third when sim Ian Desmond and Elias Díaz hit back-to-back singles. David Dahl then hit an RBI double to tie the game at 1-all before Trevor Story hit a sacrifice fly to put the Rockies up for good. Nolan Arenado and Ian Desmond added insurance in the fourth when Arenado hit his 10th homer of the sim year, a 391-foot opposite field shot and Desmond crushed a 415-feet bomb to center field. Arenado, Desmond, Dahl, and Díaz all had two-hit games for the Rockies. The Rockies made Detroit starter Daniel Norris exit the game after the fourth inning after he gave up four runs on eight hits. The Tiger bullpen kept the Rockies scoreless for the rest of the game, but the Rockies had enough runs for the win.
Doubling Dahl
Sim Dahl’s double was his 15th of the year, which leads the team. Dahl tried to get two doubles on the day, but was thrown out at second trying to stretch a single into a double in the first inning.
Game Video
If you didn’t get a chance to watch the game, check out all the action here.
Up Next
The Rockies head home for an eight-game homestand against the Reds and Giants. First up, Chi Chi González will be on the mound as the Rockies take on Trevor Bauer and the Reds at 6:45 p.m. MT at Coors Field.