DENVER — Kyle Freeland is happy with how his season went, but he’ll never be content sitting at home during the playoffs. 

“I want to be in the playoffs,” Freeland said. “Knowing we’re not in the playoffs is going to eat at me. It’s going to eat at me all offseason. Personally, I think it was a solid year for me.”

He’s allowed three runs or fewer in 15 of his last 18 starts, continuing that trend against the Nationals on Tuesday. Freeland gave up only one as the Rockies beat the Nationals 3-1. The Rockies, stellar at home for most of the season, broke their five-game losing streak, tied for their longest at home this season.

It was likely Freeland’s last start of the season, but the Rockies will wait to make that decision until they know if they need to make up a postponed game against the Braves on Monday. If it is, he’ll finish with a 4.33 ERA, tied with what he posted last season.

His year started on the injured list with a shoulder strain he suffered in spring training. Everything was off when he returned in late May, and he gave up five runs or more in three straight starts. Then he started to settle down, but blisters and a hip problem interrupted otherwise-solid outings along the way. 

He made some mechanical changes, and grinded through four starts until he felt strong again. Now, even though the season is coming to an end, he feels like he’s in midseason form. 

“It sucks because it’s the end of the season and I feel this way,” Freeland said. “Definitely glad to have a game that I had tonight.”

Freeland has fared well against the Nationals in his career, spinning six shutout frames just two weeks ago in Washington. On Tuesday, against the same lineup, Freeland carried a scoreless game into the seventh inning. He learned during his last start against the Nationals that they swing early, so he needed his locations to be precise from the get-go. He found himself with traffic throughout the game, but used his sinker to get left-handed batters in tight locations, his fastball to get the righties. 

His pitch count was low, at just 65 when he started the seventh, and he was on the verge of making it to the eighth for the first time this season. But he ran into some trouble, giving up back-to-back hits and a walk to load the bases. Then Lane Thomas drew a walk to give the Nationals an easy run to end Freeland’s night.

“I thought he pitched outstanding,” manager Bud Black said. “I thought his stuff was crisp. One of his better games this year with fastball usage.”

That walk in the seventh didn’t come back to bite the Rockies though. They jumped out to a 2-0 lead after an RBI double from Ryan McMahon in the fourth, his second in as many nights, and a 475-foot blast from Trevor Story in what was likely his second-to-last Rockies home game. Brendan Rodgers drove in a run in the seventh.