Kyle Freeland is injured and the Colorado Rockies lose their seventh straight road series in Washington. The left-hander leaves with a leg injury, but manager Bud Black claims it isn’t serious.
The Colorado Rockies continue to take knocks. There just isn’t enough of the good sort.

The Rockies lost their fifth straight road series and eighth overall on Sunday, falling 6-5 to the Washington Nationals in a game that saw starting Kyle Freeland exit with an apparent leg injury.

With a two-run home ball, Juan Soto ended a 15-game home run drought, and Tanner Rainey got the final five outs to fight off a late Rockies rally in which they scored four runs between the seventh and eighth innings.

Colorado Rockies is now 5-15 in its previous 20 games, having dropped from a high of 16-11 on May 7 to 21-26, the team’s lowest point total of the season.

In the sixth inning, Freeland (1-5) was removed with two outs. On his 107th pitch, he landed awkwardly and gestured to his leg. Freeland was charged with five runs on seven hits and was assisted off the field. He gave up four walks while striking out two batters.

“I just felt a shooting pain at the top of my foot right at the joint, kind of travelling down my foot on push off,” Freeland explained. “I’m not sure what that was.” I’d never had it before, but the fact that the X-rays were negative was excellent news.

We believe there was only a little impingement, but we’ll see how I feel tomorrow.”

Rockies manager Bud Black believes Freeland will not need to be placed on the disabled list.

“It appears we escaped a gunshot,” Black remarked.

If Freeland misses time, it will be another setback for a pitching staff that is already struggling.

After suffering a back ailment earlier this month, right-hander Antonio Senzatela was placed on the disabled list and has yet to return to the rotation. In the meanwhile, they’ve had to rely on Triple-A Albuquerque for reinforcements, including Ryan Feltner, who started Monday’s game against the Miami Marlins.

What’s the good news? At the very least, the Rockies will be able to return to Coors Field.

The road has been brutal to them this spring, as it did last year, particularly the East Coast swing, which finally ended on Sunday.

The Rockies only mustered two victories in seven games on consecutive trips to below-.500 Pittsburgh (19-26) and Washington (18-31). They’ve gone 3-14 away from Coors Field since opening the season 4-1 on the road.

With one out in the eighth against Kyle Finnegan, the Rockies scored RBI doubles from Brendan Rodgers and Sam Hilliard to get within 6-3. Rainey, the Nationals’ closer, struck out Elias Diaz and Charlie Blackmon with runners on first and third.

Rainey earned his sixth save with a 1-2-3 ninth inning.

Over five innings, Nationals starter Josiah Gray (5-4) allowed one run on three hits and four walks.

Rodgers went 2-for-4 at the plate to extend his hitting streak to 16 games, tying his career record. Blackmon started off the game with his sixth home run for the Rockies.

“The way we rallied back, getting some opposite field hits, putting the ball in play,” Black said.

Soto hadn’t hit a home run since May 12, when he hit one against the Mets. In the bottom of the first, he smashed his tenth home run of the season, a line shot to centre field, to give Washington a 2-1 lead. He improved his batting average to.236.

For the Nationals, who won three of four games against the Rockies, he added a double and a walk. Lane Thomas hit a two-run homer in the game.

Before the game, manager Dave Martinez remarked, “When he starts hitting the ball out of the park, it’ll come in bunches.”

In the sixth inning, Thomas blasted a two-run homer to make it 6-1.