Kyle Freeland doesn’t see himself as the savior for a disappointing Rockies team that sits on the outside edge of playoff contention. The left-hander does, however, believe he can give his club a boost.

“This team is going to need everybody, not just me,” Freeland said Friday afternoon before the Rockies hosted Cincinnati at Coors Field. “Like I said at the beginning of the year, I’m just one piece of the entire puzzle. So it’s not going to be just me.

“But part of it is me; coming back and putting together strong starts and helping build momentum for this team to build off in the second half.”

Freeland, 26, will officially be recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque on Saturday to pitch Game 2 of the three-game series vs. the Reds.

Manager Bud Black, though clearly thrilled to have Freeland back, counseled the Denver native not to make too much out of his mid-season return to Coors Field.

“Kyle just needs to be Kyle Freeland and go out and pitch his game,” Black said. “I told him (that). I said, ‘You’re going to be fired up and it’s going to be emotional for you, and you will probably try to do a tremendous job.’ But I tried to temper that a little bit.”

The Rockies returned from the all-star break Friday with a 44-45 record and were 2 ½ games out of the second wild-card spot, with five teams in front of them. They were stuck in a six-game losing streak.

In 2018, Freeland put together one of the best seasons in Rockies history, going 17-7 with a 2.85 ERA and coming in fourth in the National League Cy Young Award voting. But he pitched poorly in his first 12 starts in 2019, leaving a lot of pitches over the plate and badly missing location with his fastball and slider. The southpaw had a 7.13 ERA while getting blasted for 16 homers, leading to his demotion to Triple-A on May 31. Related Articles Rockies’ Daniel Bard finishing up improbable season on a high note

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Although home runs are being hit at a historic pace across the majors, Freeland understands that he can’t be successful serving up an average of 2.4 home runs per nine innings.

“I think I was slightly predictable,” he said. “I think hitters had a pretty solid book and game plan going into games against me. At the same time, I was leaving a lot of mistakes over the middle of the plate. You put those two together and more than likely the ball is going to be flying out.”

Veteran catcher Chris Iannetta, as well as Black, agreed that Freeland might have been a bit too predictable, but they stressed that it was lack of pitch command with his fastball, slider and changeup that was his biggest flaw earlier this season.

When Freeland was demoted to Triple-A, he admitted that his confidence was shaken, but he said Friday that his confidence was bolstered during a six-start stint at Triple-A.

“Better. A lot better,” he said. “When you’re sent down, it’s not a good feeling. You have to make it as much of a positive as you can, and go into your work and make sure you’re doing things right and working on things you need to work on.”

Freeland went 0-4 with a 8.80 ERA in six starts for the Isotopes, but his last outing on July 3 in Sacramento was a major step forward. Freeland threw seven innings of one-run ball while striking out nine. The Rockies informed him three days later that he would be rejoining the major-league rotation.

On Deck

Reds RHP Tanner Roark (5-6, 3.51 ERA) vs. Rockies LHP Kyle Freeland (2-6, 7.13)

6:10 p.m. Saturday, Coors Field

TV: AT&T SportsNet

Radio: 850 AM/94.1 FM

Roark has pitched well at Coors Field, going 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA and a .273 batting average against in two games (one start). Saturday marks the 200th appearance (159th start) or Roark’s career. The veteran right-hander has been susceptible to the long ball, with all six runs allowed over his last three appearances coming via home runs. Freeland pitched so poorly in his first 12 starts this season he was demoted to Triple-A on May 31 after posting a 7.13 ERA while giving up 16 homers. Saturday marks his first start back since his demotion.

Trending: Since 2002, the Reds’ winning percentage of .345 at Coors Field (19-36) is their lowest at any current road ballpark.

At issue: The Rockies’ pitching staff posted a 5.16 ERA prior to the all-star break, the team’s highest ERA before the break since 2012.

Pitching probables

Sunday: Reds’ RHP Tyler Mahle (2-9, 4.47) at Rockies RHP Antonio Senzatela (7-6, 5.32), 1:10 p.m., ATTRM

Monday (doubleheader): Game 1, Giants LHP Drew Pomeranz (2-9, 6.42) at Rockies RHP German Marquez (8-4, 4.45 ERA), 12:10 p.m., ATTRM

Game 2, Giants TBA at Rockies TBA, 6:10 p.m., ATTRM

Tuesday: Giants RHP Jeff Samardzija (6-7, 4.01) at Rockies RHP Peter Lambert (2-1, 6.67), 6:40 p.m., ATTRM