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Colorado Rockies game no. 87 thread: Kyle Freeland vs Brandon Bielak

The Rockies will play their first series against the “natural rivals”

The Colorado Rockies are 33-53, dead-last in the National League and owners of the third-worst record in all of baseball. The Houston Astros are the defending World Series champions, sitting three-games by the division-leading Texas Rangers with a 47-38 record and firmly in the middle of the American League wild card race. Yet somehow, these two teams on opposite ends of the baseball spectrum are “natural rivals” because the league insists on marketing every franchise with an interleague counterpart.

Rockies’ ace Kyle Freeland will get the ball to kick-off the first of two series against Houston. It’s been a rough stretch for the southpaw lately, allowing 17 runs in his last three starts. He walked a career-high five batters in five innings in his last start against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Opposing Freeland is Brandon Bielak, making his ninth start of the season. Bielak is in his fourth season with Houston and has been used primarily as a reliever prior to this season, with only 16 of 54 career appearances being games started. He holds a 4.37 ERA on the year, but appears to have some good-fortune baked into that figure as his xERA sits at 6.29 and he owns a 5.68 FIP.

Happy Independence Day, Purple Row readers. Here’s hoping the Rockies give a worthwhile holiday performance.

First Pitch: 2:10 p.m. MDT

TV: AT&T Sports Net Rocky Mountain; MLB.tv

Radio: KOA 850 AM/94.1 FM; KNRV 1150 (Spanish)

Lineups: