Rangers' revived offense takes aim at Kyle Freeland, Rockies

The Texas Rangers' rally Monday night fell short, but it sparked a quick start to the Tuesday game.

Texas used the strong beginning to beat the Colorado Rockies 10-0 in the second game of the series, setting up a decisive contest Wednesday afternoon in Denver.

The Rangers will send right-hander Jack Leiter (1-4, 4.35 ERA) to the mound to face Colorado left-hander Kyle Freeland (1-5, 7.22).

Leiter is facing the Rockies for the second time in his career, and he hopes it goes as well as his first outing against them. Leiter tossed six innings of one-run ball in a 4-1 win over Colorado on May 13, 2025, the first quality start of his career.

Texas is hopeful Leiter can pitch deep into the game after taxing the bullpen in the 7-6 loss on Monday. Starter MacKenzie Gore came out of the game after one inning due to tightness in his left lat, but he doesn't think it's a long-term situation.

"I felt kind of like a cramp in that behind-the-shoulder-blade, mid-back area," Gore said. "I thought it was something I could probably pitch through. ... It was uncomfortable, but it wasn't a pain, like I hurt myself or anything like that. It's frustrating for that to happen right from the get-go in the first inning. But we probably made the right move."

The Rangers have used the thin air of Denver to put up 16 runs and bang out 26 hits. Ezequiel Duran has led the way with six hits in the two games.

The Rockies managed just three hits and were blanked for the third time this season in the Tuesday defeat. They hope Freeland can tame a Texas offense that has averaged eight runs over the past three games.

Freeland has faced the Rangers five times in his career, all starts, going 1-2 with a 5.32 ERA. He lost each of his two most recent appearances vs. Texas, in 2023 and 2025, when he yielded a total of 11 runs (eight earned) on 15 hits in eight innings.

Colorado's offense will need to come alive if the Rockies want to earn a split of their six-game homestand. They have just 10 hits through the first two games vs. Texas. Colorado manager Warren Schaeffer has tinkered with the lineup, but it hasn't always produced.

He has tried different options at the leadoff spot and seemed to find an answer in Edouard Julien, who batted .324 in April but is hitting just .068 in May. Schaeffer also has used Jake McCarthy, Jordan Beck, Mickey Moniak, Troy Johnston and Tyler Freeman at the top, and his latest candidate is Willi Castro.

Castro has batted in the No. 1 slot three times on the homestand, and he went 4-for-11 in those games.

"I feel really good being a leadoff hitter, especially when you're seeing the ball pretty good," said Castro, who went 0-for-3 with a while from atop the order on Tuesday. "It's going out there, trusting yourself and having really good at-bats."

Colorado outfielder Brenton Doyle may not play on Wednesday after sustaining a contusion to his left side when he made a diving attempt at Duran's RBI double in the first inning on Tuesday.

--Field Level Media