Colorado Rockies game no. 158 thread: Kyle Freeland vs Michael Grove

Oct 2, 2022 - 12:10 AM

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The 65-92 Colorado Rockies kicked off a brutal six game final series against the Los Angeles Dodgers by getting demolished 10-1. Their only run came against a position player pitching in the top of the ninth inning. Maybe that’s the worst of it out of the way early? The Rockies need just one win to avoid having their second worst season by record in team history. They need to win every single remaining game to hit 70 wins. Things are not trending in the right direction. The Rockies are 1-10 in their last 11 games and are riding a six game losing streak. Can the Rockies pull out of the nosedive and finish the season with some semblance of dignity?

Kyle Freeland will be making his final start of the season for the Rockies. Freeland’s 4.63 ERA is the best among the Rockies rotation and he was riding a very strong September until his last outing. Freeland’s final home start of 2022 against the Padres did not go as planned. After five straight starts of five or more innings and two or fewer earned runs, Freeland struggled. He lasted just 2 ²⁄₃ innings while yielding seven runs (six earned) on nine hits. Now he looks to bounce back at Chavez Ravine. Freeland has actually pitched fairly well at Dodger Stadium throughout his career. In 49 ²⁄₃ innings Freeland has a 3.81 ERA in Los Angeles.

On the bump for the Dodgers is the rookie right-handed pitcher Michael Grove. Grove made his big league debut back in May and has bounced back and forth between MLB and Triple-A throughout the season. In six appearances and five starts he has an ERA of 4.07 over 24 ¹⁄₃ innings pitched. He’s issued a fair amount of walks and four home runs this season, but has also struck out 21 batters. Grove throws just three pitches in his arsenal: a four seam fastball averaging 94.6 MPH with low spin and moderate movement, a curveball, and a slider. His breaking pitches both have a 23.1 % putaway rate while his curveball has the strongest whiff rate at 44.4% compared to the 33.3% whiff rate on his slider.

First Pitch: 7:10 PM MDT

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

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

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