The Pirates hitters got happy feet so often Monday, you wondered if Pittsburgh had somehow signed Ja’Wuan James by mistake.
“I kind of thought (Kyle) Freeland kept us off-balance,” Pittsburgh manager Derek Shelton said of the Rockies’ left-hander after he combined with four relievers to blank the Buccos, 2-0, on Opening Day 2.0 at Coors Field.
The plucky Bucs were a little out front one inning, a little behind the next, never quite squaring up the ball. When Freeland changes speeds like that, it’s a rare, beautiful thing, an all-red aurora kissing a black sky over some distant horizon.