Kyle Freeland pitched with the precision of a Rolex in the Rockies’ 6-5 victory over the Reds on Wednesday night at Great American Ball Park.
And the veteran left-hander got a big assist from center fielder Sam Hilliard, who hit two big flys in his first two at-bats to spark a Colorado offense that banged out 12 hits.
The Rockies snapped an eight-game losing streak to the Reds and won for just the second time in Cincinnati in their last 14 games.
It wasn’t easy, because, of course, nothing comes easy for the 2024 Rockies. The Reds scored three runs in the ninth off relievers Victor Vodnik and Jalen Beeks. Tyler Stephenson led off the Reds’ ninth with a homer off Vodnik.
Freeland, who gave up two runs on eight hits and walked just one, was nearly untouchable for his first six innings. With his knuckle curve and slider confounding the Reds, Freeland struck out nine over his 6 2/3 innings. He produced 15 swings and misses with his curveball. His nine Ks were one shy of his career high.
In four starts since coming off the injured list on June 23, Freeland has posted a 1.71 ERA with 21 strikeouts vs. only five walks.
Freeland looked like he was heading for a possible complete game until he encountered heavy traffic in the seventh. Stephenson led off with a double but was erased at third when he tried to stretch his hit into a double. Right fielder Jake Cave and second baseman Brendan Rodgers made two excellent throws to nail Stephenson.
Noelvi Marte hit a double to left and scored on Rece Hinds’ single, and when Freeland walked No. 9 hitter Santiago Espinal, Freeland’s night was done. Vodnik needed just one pitch to end the seventh when he coaxed a ground out of Jonathan Indian.
Hilliard’s two-run homer in the third was his first in the majors since April 24 of last season when he played for Atlanta. He timed up starter Frankie Montas’ 2-1 cutter and lined it at 105 mph over the right-field wall.
In the fifth, Hilliard led off the opposite-field blast to left off Montas. This time, he sat on Montas’ first-pitch slider and drove it 382 feet to give Colorado a 4-1 cushion. Wednesday marked the third multi-homer game of Hilliard’s career.
Thursday’s pitching matchup
Rockies LHP Austin Gomber (2-5, 4.47 ERA) at Reds RHP Hunter Greene (5-4, 3.45)
11:10 a.m. Thursday, Great American Ball Park
TV: Rockies.TV (streaming); Comcast/Xfinity (channel 1262); DirecTV (683); Spectrum (130, 445, 305, 435 or 445, depending on region).
Radio: 850 AM/94.1 FM
Gomber is coming off a strong performance in Colorado’s 3-1 victory over the Royals at Coors Field. The lefty surrendered just one run on six hits and recorded three strikeouts over seven innings. He blanked Kansas City for five-plus innings before giving up a solo home run to Vinny Pasquantino in the sixth. Gomber posted his first win since May 25 at San Diego. He threw 99 pitchers, his most since throwing 100 on July 12, 2022, at San Diego. Gomber is 1-1 with a 4.78 ERA in eight career games (four starts) against the Reds.
Greene, a first-time All-Star, is facing the Rockies for the third time in his career. His first two starts were at Coors Field and he didn’t fare well, losing both games while posting a 10.80 ERA and giving up four home runs. He’s coming off an excellent start vs. the Tigers, pitching seven scoreless innings and allowing just three hits while striking out seven. He left the game with a 2-0 lead but he didn’t get the win because of a blown save. He’s been the victim of terrible run support this season. Cincinnati has averaged 3.39 runs per game in which he starts, tied for third-lowest among all qualified major league starters.
Pitching probables
Friday: Rockies RHP Tanner Gordon (0-1, 7.11) at Mets LHP Sean Menaea (5-3, 3.43), 5:10 p.m.
Saturday: Rockies RHP Ryan Feltner (1-8, 5.29) at Mets RHP Christian Scott (0-2, 4.15), 2:10 p.m.
— Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post
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