Kyle Freeland Scratch Looms Large as Rockies Early Momentum Slips Away

The Colorado Rockies entered the four-game series with the San Diego Padres with an optimistic 6-6 record. This was the first chance in years that the Rockies could build on a promising start.

Instead they are now left with more questions.

After Sunday’s 7-2 loss, the Rockies were officially swept in four games. This is now a troubling slide that has this 2026 campaign trending in a very unfortunate, familiar direction.

This Series Could Shift the Narrative

At 6-6 there was cause for some cautious optimism with the team. They were on a bit of a high after the team announced a minority stake had been purchased by Denver Broncos owners Penner Sports Group.

Colorado was looking competitive with some flashes of what could be categorized as positives. The pitching staff was being competitive enough to stay close in games, which again, is a huge improvement over last season where they ranked at the bottom of MLB.

Now, over the course of the last four games the momentum has disappeared. Inconsistent pitching, lack of depth and inability to control games late showed up as familiar traits.

At 6-10, the slide feels like it is heading back toward a 100-loss trajectory. Just as it was too soon to be too optimistic, it is also too soon to be so pessimistic as to believe that they will have yet another 100-loss season.

Freeland Scratch Just Adds to the Problem

Colorado Rockies pitcher Jimmy Herget | Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

To add insult to injury, Kyle Freeland was scratched from the start on Sunday due to left posterior shoulder soreness. Freeland is the mainstay of the pitching rotation. He led the team on Opening Day and has continued to put up impressive numbers despite what the win-loss record shows.

Over the course of his three starts this year Freeland has posted:

2.30 ERA
13 strikeouts in 15.2 innings
1.085 WHIP
.7 WAR

Without the ability to start Freeland on Sunday, Colorado had to turn it into a bullpen game, and it was a struggle to contain the Padres’ offense.

Jimmy Herget started the game and ended with one inning pitched and one earned run. Valente Bellozo took the majority of the innings with 4.1 IP, five earned runs, eight hits given up and four walks. The Rockies used five pitchers to get out of the game.

Small Positive Emerges Amid the Slide

There was at least one positive to report from the organization. According to Thomas Harding of MLB.com, left-hander Jose Quintana threw a 21-pitch bullpen session and indicated that he could return to the rotation as early as Wednesday against the Astros.

#Rockies LHP Jose Quintana (slight right hamstring strain) gave a thumbs up after a 21-pitch bullpen on Sunday and says he can return to the rotation as early as Wednesday vs. the #Astros.
— Thomas Harding (@harding_at_mlb) April 12, 2026

Of course, Quintana doesn’t solve all the problems, but it is encouraging to see that he may be back on the mound soon for the team.

Now, Colorado will have to regroup and find ways to win. They have a day off and then head to Houston to take on the Astros in a three-game series. Given the struggles the Astros are having, it should give Colorado some breathing room to strategize and get back on track.