Rockies drop to 9-48 despite Kyle Freeland’s quality start

Rockies Report, Game 57:

ROCKIES BOTTOM LINE: Home runs did most of the damage against Colorado at Citi Field on Friday night, as three solo shots — two from Francisco Lindor and one from Starling Marte — provided all the offense necessary to send the Rox to a 4-2 defeat.

Trailing 3-0, the Rockies finally got on the board in the sixth inning with a two-out rally that began when Mets starter David Peterson plunked Thairo Estrada, making his debut after missing 56 games due to a fractured wrist.

Sam Hilliard homered in his first major-league at-bat this season after being called up from AAA Albuquerque.

Brought in to pinch-hit for Tyler Freeman in the seventh inning, Hilliard golfed a Huascar Brazobán changeup that caught the low edge of the strike zone over the right-field fence to pull the Rox within 3-2.

But that was as close as Colorado came.

Colorado fell to 9-48.

ROCKIES STARTER’S REPORT

The bad news for Kyle Freeland is that he once again has enough innings pitched this season to qualify for MLB’s leaderboard, and thus now officially has the worst ERA among qualified pitchers at 5.72.

The worse news is that his record is now 0-8.

But Freeland did go six innings to finish with his fifth quality start in 12 outings this season — and his third in six starts this month.

Displaying outstanding control, Freeland didn’t walk a batter, marking the first time in nine starts that he didn’t allow a free pass. Freeland opened the season with three starts without a walk.

Only a pair of home runs marred his day. It marked the first time this year he’s allowed multiple dingers in a start.

Freeland and Antonio Senzatela are 1-2 for losses in the first 60 games of a season in Rox history. Freeland’s loss tied him with Kyle Kendrick in 2015; he started 0-8 en route to going 7-13.

BITS AND PIECES

IT WAS DECIDED FOR THE ROCKIES WHEN: A replay review gave Lindor his second home run of the evening on a shot to center field off Seth Halvorsen, pushing the Mets’ lead to 4-2 in the eighth inning.

Colorado went down in order in the ninth.

ROCKIES NUMBER TO NOTE: 11/1 — Strikeout to walk ratio in Friday’s loss.

NOTES: Estrada went 0-for-3 and scored a run after being hit by a pitch in his first action of the season …

WHAT’S NEXT: Senzatela tries to avoid his 10th loss before June, but he faces a tough challenge, as the Metropolitans counter with Kodai Senga and his 1.46 ERA. First pitch in Queens is at 2:10 p.m. MDT.

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