Freeland pitches Rockies past Angels 3-1 to win home finale of dreadful season

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Colorado Rockies' Blaine Crim gestures as he crosses home plate after hitting a solo home run off Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Caden Dana in the fourth inning of a baseball game Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Los Angeles Angels second baseman Christian Moore, left, tags out Colorado Rockies' Ryan Ritter, right, who was trying to steal second in the fifth inning of a baseball game Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) — Colorado Rockies' Blaine Crim gestures as he crosses home plate after hitting a solo home run off Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Caden Dana in the fourth inning of a baseball game Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

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2:59 PM on Sunday, September 21

By MICHAEL KELLY

DENVER (AP) — Kyle Freeland pitched six solid innings, Blaine Crim homered and drove in two runs, and the Colorado Rockies beat the Los Angeles Angels 3-1 on Sunday in their final home game of a miserable season.

Victor Vodnik got three outs for his 10th save as the Rockies improved to 43-113 with six games remaining, ensuring they won't tie the 1962 New York Mets for the most losses in one season by a National League team since 1900. Those expansion Mets finished 40-120-1.

Mike Trout doubled leading off the game after belting his 400th career home run Saturday night. He scored the only run for the Angels (70-86), who went 1-9 on their last road trip of the year.

Trout scored on Jo Adell's single in the first but Freeland (5-16) was in control after that. He retired 13 of 14 batters before Taylor Ward’s leadoff single in the sixth. The left-hander issued his only walk one out later but ended his day by getting Logan O’Hoppe to ground into an inning-ending double play.

Los Angeles starter Caden Dana (0-3) didn’t allow a hit through three innings, but three walks in the second allowed the Rockies to tie it on Kyle Karros' sacrifice fly.

Crim’s leadoff homer in the fourth gave Colorado the lead, and Freeland and the bullpen made it stand up.

Crim added an RBI groundout in the eighth.

Key moment

Los Angeles had runners on first and third with one out in the first, but Freeland struck out O’Hoppe and Christian Moore to keep the damage at one run. Freeland had seven strikeouts.

Key stats

Colorado finished 25-56 at Coors Field, the most home losses in franchise history. The previous high was 46 in 2012.

Up next

The Angels host Kansas City on Tuesday to begin their final homestand. They had not announced a scheduled starter yet.

Rockies RHP McCade Brown (0-4, 9.17 ERA) opens a three-game series at Seattle on Tuesday night.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB