Reds get to Freeland early in his return as Rockies fall

Rockies Report, Game 30:

ROCKIES BOTTOM LINE: The Reds got to Kyle Freeland early in his return from the injured list, taking a 3-0 first-inning lead on Elly De La Cruz’s bloop RBI single and Spencer Steer’s 2-run homer that they ultimately rode to a 7-2 win at Great American Ballpark on Tuesday night.

Edouard Julien provided both of the Rockies’ runs via a solo home run in the second and an RBI single in the fifth. TJ Rumfield also delivered a pair of hits — including a double — from the cleanup spot.

Long gone Eddy! pic.twitter.com/A2SxWtDAjV

— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) April 28, 2026

Colorado had at least one baserunner in each inning, but struggled to string hits together, and ultimately went 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position. Cincinnati went 4-for-8, and that made all the difference.

“Bunch of runners on base. Situational baseball not good today,” manager Warren Schaeffer told media after the game. “Runner on third base, less than two outs, 0-for-3. Plenty of chances, boys kept going, but just didn’t get the job done when it was needed.”

Colorado dropped to 13-17 and saw its three-game winning streak end.

ROCKIES STARTER’S REPORT

Freeland’s first inning was rough, but he was able to settle in and ultimately complete a five-inning, 79-pitch outing that saw him face the minimum three batters in the second, fourth and fifth innings. Half of the baserunners Freeland yielded came in the three-run first.

A five-pitch leadoff walk to Dane Myers was a frustrating start to the evening, and when De La Cruz dropped his Texas Leaguer out of the reach of Troy Johnston and Tyler Freeman, Cincinnati’s outburst was in motion. A 3-1 fastball that settled in the heart of the strike zone to Steer for the two-run blast was the decisive blow.

But from there, Freeland settled down, allowing two hits and a walk in his final four innings of work.

“I definitely got stronger as the game went on; I started getting more in my legs as the game went on; I started fine-tuning everything as I got more and more into it,” Freeland told media after the game.

BITS AND PIECES

IT WAS DECIDED FOR THE ROCKIES WHEN: De La Cruz went deep off Tanner Gordon for a 2-run shot to extend Cincinnati’s lead to 6-2 in the eighth inning. Nathaniel Lowe subsequently added an RBI single to extend the advantage to the final margin.

NUMBER TO NOTE: .448 — Julien’s batting average since April 19. Prior to that, he was hitting .224; after Tuesday night’s 3-for-4 game; he’s hitting .308 as he’s settled into the leadoff role.

WHAT’S NEXT: The second game of the series on Wednesday night, which will see Tomoyuki Sugano looking for his third win of the season. Brandon Williamson gets the call for Cincinnati. First pitch is at 4:40 p.m. MDT.

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