The Colorado Rockies begin the second half of the season trying to avoid history and win their first home series of the year.
Colorado, at 22-74, is on pace to break the modern era record for losses of 121, set by the 2024 Chicago White Sox. The Rockies are just 10-36 at home and have yet to win a series there, but they get another chance starting with a three-game set against the Minnesota Twins on Friday night.
Colorado will send lefty Kyle Freeland (1-10, 5.44 ERA) to the mound against Minnesota’s Chris Paddack (3-8, 4.95).
Paddack has faced the Rockies five times — three starts — and is 3-0 with a 1.54 ERA against them.
The Twins have work to do to return to the playoffs for the first time in two years, starting at Colorado. Minnesota won six of its last 10 before the All-Star break but sits 11 1/2 games behind first-place Detroit in the American League Central and four games back of the last wild-card slot.
While the Twins’ season has been somewhat uneven, Byron Buxton has been consistent. Buxton is hitting .289 with 21 home runs. He hit for the cycle Saturday, the first by a Minnesota player at Target Field since it opened in 2010. He was part of the Home Run Derby on Monday and doubled in the All-Star Game a day later.
Buxton completed the cycle with a home run but isn’t swinging for the fences when he’s at the plate.
“I want to get hits,” he said. “Just going out there, trying to keep my same approach. Most of the time when you get too big, you tend to pop that ball up. And that’s the thing, we go back and we say, ‘Dang, we missed that pitch.'”
The Rockies entered the All-Star break having lost 15 of their last 20 after winning a series at Washington. Friday kicks off a six-game homestand and two chances for them to win a home series. Colorado won 10 games in June — more than doubling its total for the season — but is 3-9 in July.
“I think you’re seeing a little lack of confidence, lack of presence in the box with runners on third with less than two outs — runners in scoring position, in general,” interim manager Warren Schaeffer said during a series in Cincinnati last weekend.
“But I think collectively as a group, we will get better at that. We had a good month of June with it. In July, it hasn’t been so hot. That’s one thing I look forward to us getting better at, is offensively when we get into good situations, getting the job done.”
Freeland is looking for his first win since June 4 and just his second of the season. He has four quality starts in his last five outings but missed chances to win more games despite leaving with leads.
Freeland is facing the Twins for the second time in his career and first time at home. His only other start against them came in Minneapolis, where he got the win by allowing three runs over six innings back in May 2017.
–Field Level Media
