Royals 10, Rockies 2
Sunday at Salt River Fields
On the mound: Kyle Freeland, after officially being named the Opening Day starter, posted a poor line, but he didn’t pitch that badly. Spotty defense and some mental miscues hurt the lefty. The Royals tagged him for seven earned runs on five hits over 4 1/3 innings. Freeland walked two, hit a batter and struck out five. The good news is that he threw 76 pitches, 52 for strikes. … Right-hander Jake Bird, a possible long reliever, pitched 1 1/3 innings, giving up two runs on two hits. Bird has a 3.27 ERA. … Closer candidate Seth Halvorsen pitched a scoreless ninth, walking one.
At the plate: Sean Bouchard played outfield and first base and hit his third homer of the spring. He’s had an excellent camp and is hitting .378 with a 1.152 OPS. Bouchard has options remaining, which might figure into his status as the Rockies set their 26-man roster. … Catcher Jacob Stallings, hitting .333, went 2 for 3 with a two-out RBI.
Injury updates: Lefty Austin Gomber, who is battling a sore shoulder, will begin the season on the injured list but is not expected to be out for a long time. … Utility candidate Nick Martini was hit in the wrist by a pitch Sunday, but the X-rays were negative. There is no timeline for his return yet.
Up next: The Rockies are off on Monday. Giants vs. Rockies, 6:40 p.m. (MDT) Tuesday
Rockies probable pitchers: RHP Chase Dollander, LHP Scott Alexander, RHP Jaden Hill, RHP Diego Castillo, RHP Zach Agnos
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