Kyle Freeland was at a crossroads earlier this season.

After spending the first two months on the injured list with a shoulder strain, he muddled through his first five starts of the season with a 9.58 ERA. He could either fall back into his 2018 habits, when Freeland finished with a 2.85 ERA and in fourth place in CY Young voting, or his 2019 version, when his ERA skyrocketed and he needed trips back to the minors.

The Rockies were never worried. They knew that their homegrown lefty would head down the right path again, and that he just needed time to ramp back up to the form he showed in spring training.

They were right. Freeland pitched seven innings on Saturday night, his longest outing of the season, giving up just one run. But his teammates couldn’t back him up, garnering just two hits, as the Dodgers beat the Rockies 1-0.

“He looked totally in control tonight, it was fun to watch,” said acting manager Mike Redmond, who is filling in while Bud Black is on the COVID list. “I just wish we were able to score a couple runs to get a win.”

Since June 22, Freeland has a 2.0 ERA. He’s gotten better with each start, despite a minor hamstring setback and a recurring blister on his middle finger. On Saturday, his hip did tighten, requiring a mound visit in the sixth, but his finger didn’t blister for the first time he could remember.

“Once I was able to figure out what was going on, my mechanics, pitch selection, getting things out front, I could really start rolling and building that confidence,” Freeland said. “Even pitch to pitch, feeling everything I want to feel.”

Facing a Dodgers lineup missing most of their big names, Freeland focused on keeping the batters off balanced. He had just one mistake — a slider on the left corner that Austin Barnes launched 399 feet for a home run.

But after a stunning performance on Friday night, when the Rockies came from behind to win in extras, the offense couldn’t get anything going. It’s nothing new for this team, which has only 10 wins on the road despite consistent outings from its rotation. The Rockies have analyzed everything this season, banging their heads on the walls trying to find a solution. They’ve added early batting practice, to adjust to how the balls spin at different altitude levels. But there’s no magic formula, and they weren’t able to build off their three-game road winning streak, their longest of the season.

“We just never got in a position to get a big hit,” Redmond said. “We weren’t able to put any pressure on them.”

Charlie Blackmon had one of those hits, a double to the left side in the first inning. After an uncharacteristic start to the season, he’s now batting .277, including .458 since the All-Star break.

Ryan McMahon had the only other hit for the Rockies, a single in the fourth. McMahon, who admitted on Friday that he’s been feeling horrible at the plate, has also started to heat up again. Even though he said he’s been grinding through his at-bats, he’s managed a .328 batting average in his last 16 contests entering Saturday. He’s still looking for his first home run since June 15 though, the second-longest drought of his career.