Colorado Rockies vs. St. Louis Cardinals: 5 players to watch

Kyle Freeland

In his last outing against Cincinnati, Freeland proved there wasn’t much he couldn’t do … on the mound or at the plate.

Freeland hit his first career double and homer while throwing 5.2 innings to earn his fifth victory of the season in a 6-4 win over the Reds. It was the second consecutive victory for Freeland and moved him to 2-1 in May with a 3.75 ERA.

That’s the good news for Colorado’s 24-year-old southpaw. The bad news is that his ERA has been steadily creeping up since the month began. He’s allowed three earned runs in each of his last three starts, pushing an ERA that was 2.65 on May 4 over a run higher.

Part of that rise has come because of the home run. Freeland gave up just one homer in April in five starts. He’s given up three long balls in four May starts.

While he’s been giving up more runs, Colorado opponents are actually having less luck against him overall at the plate. Opposing batters hit .269 against Freeland in April. In May, that number has dropped to .200.

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When he gets the ball against St. Louis, it will be his 10th start of his Major League career. It’s a reminder of just how young Freeland is and how bright of a career he has ahead of him.