(Photo credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images)

Mickey Moniak struggled at the start of the 2025 season, hitting .216 through the end of May, but he recovered to hit .270 with a career-high 24 home runs in his first season with the Colorado Rockies.

He signed for another year and is off to a better start after beginning the season on the injured list. The former No. 1 overall draft pick has two home runs in four games this year and will look to keep the momentum going when the Rockies face the Houston Astros on Tuesday night in Denver in the second of a three-game series.

The Rockies used an eight-run fifth inning to win the opener 9-7 on Monday night.

Moniak, who had one hit Monday and is batting .286 so far, made his season debut in Colorado's home opener against Philadelphia on Friday with one hit but broke out Sunday with two home runs, one into the second deck and the other off the facing of the second level.

He hit just five homers through the first two-plus months of 2025 before countering with six in June and September and five in August.

'If you look at last year, the first two months weren't the best,' Moniak said. 'Then from June on, I felt I really unlocked something. There are obviously differences in playing at altitude versus sea level. The ball does different things. But from June on, I unlocked something in my swing where I go up to the plate and feel comfortable, feel I can do damage.'

Colorado will send left-hander Kyle Freeland (0-1, 2.89 ERA) against Houston right-hander Mike Burrows (1-1, 5.91) in Game 2 of the series.

Freeland has been solid in his first two starts but hasn't gotten run support. He lost 2-1 to the Miami Marlins on March 27, then gave up just one run to the Toronto Blue Jays last Wednesday. He was long gone from the game by the time his teammates took a 2-1 win in 10 innings.

Freeland will make his fifth career start against the Astros. He is 0-2 with a 4.44 ERA in the previous four.

Burrows' only outing against the Rockies was on Aug. 23, 2025, in Colorado when he pitched for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He didn't give up a run in four innings but didn't factor into the Rockies' 5-1 win.

He struggled in his first outing this season, giving up five runs on nine hits over 5 2/3 innings against the Los Angeles Angels and taking the 6-2 loss on March 27. He pitched better in a 6-4 win over Boston on Wednesday, allowing two runs in five innings.

Houston bounced back from dropping its first two games of the season to win six of seven but has lost its past two. Carlos Correa, back with the Astros for his first full season after three-plus years in Minnesota, has been a catalyst during the recent surge.

He had two hits in a 12-10, 10-inning loss at the Athletics on Sunday and doubled home Houston's first run and scored the second Monday night. Correa, who went seven straight seasons without a stolen base while battling foot injuries, swiped one Sunday.

It was his first straight steal since the 2019 season.

'Don't get used to it,' Correa, 31, said Sunday afternoon. 'I just felt good today. Felt young.

'There's going to be some chances out there with some (pitchers) that don't pay attention to runners, so I feel like the team should take advantage of that. Mostly the young guys.'

--Field Level Media