Colorado Rockies vs. Los Angeles Dodgers: Five Players To Watch

The biggest question with Kyle Freeland is this: Which version of the rookie left-hander will we see against the Dodgers? He started his career by handcuffing Los Angeles as we discussed on the previous page. During that game, he also walked just two while striking out six.

Colorado Rockies

However, his follow-up outing against the San Diego Padres was not as strong. In just 4.2 innings, the 23-year-old gave up six runs and eight hits. He also didn’t show the control he did in his debut, walking three while striking out just two.

What was the biggest difference? Against the Dodgers, Freeland was able to avoid trouble. Against the Padres, he wasn’t. In both games, he faced a situation where the bases were loaded early. In his debut, he induced a groundout to short-circuit Los Angeles. Against San Diego, the Padres jumped on him for four early runs, including back-to-back doubles to open the game and a homer later in the frame.

If Freeland can keep the Dodgers off balance as he did in his first outing, he’ll do well. However, Los Angeles has seen him once and they will be more familiar with what he’s bringing to the mound.

What to watch: Can Freeland keep his pitch count down and not issue free passes to Los Angeles batters? That will tell a lot about how successful he is.