DENVER — Kyle Freeland wasn’t perfect, but he pitched a masterpiece on Friday night in the Rockies’ 3-0 victory over the Padres in front of 30,073 at Coors Field.

Just days removed from throwing only eight pitches in his last outing, the Rockies’ veteran left-hander threw eight shutout innings, allowed just two hits, and tied a career-high with 10 strikeouts. Freeland did not walk a batter.

He threw just 88 pitches, but the decision not to let him chase a complete game was likely because of his abbreviated start on Tuesday night against the Giants — one that saw him ejected without recording an out.

Of course, nothing comes easy for the 101-loss Rockies. Closer Victor Vodnik gave up a walk and a single in the ninth before getting a flyout and a double-play grounder to third to notch his seventh save.

The Rockies entered the night having lost 11 of their last 13 games, but led by Freeland and catcher Hunter Goodman, they put a crimp in the Padres’ playoff path. San Diego, in a race with the Dodgers for the National League West division title, lost its fifth game in a row.

Freeland has never pitched a complete game. The closest he came was on July 9, 2017, when he pitched 8 1/3 no-hit innings against the White Sox, the longest no-hit bid for a Rockies pitcher at Coors Field in franchise history.

Friday night, Freeland pitched a perfect game until Ramon Laureano ripped a one-out double to left in the fifth inning. No worries, he got Jackson Merrill to fly out to left and struck out Jose Iglesias with a wicked knuckle curve to end the inning.

San Diego’s only other hit off Freeland was a two-out single by Jose Iglesias in the eighth.

Freeland was coming off the most bizarre game of his career. On Tuesday, he faced just two batters, threw eight pitches, surrendered two runs, recorded zero outs, and was ejected for confronting Giants slugger Rafael Devers during Devers’ showy home-run trot.

Colorado took a 1-0 lead in the third on Goodman’s two-out home run off San Diego right-hander Nick Pivetta. It was Goodman’s team-high 28th homer, tying Wilin Rosario for the most homers by a primary catcher in franchise history. Rosario set the mark in 2012.

Goodman continued his torrid streak at the plate. He contributed to Colorado’s run in the second when Mickey Moniak, Goodman and Jordan Beck hit successive singles off Pivetta to put the Rockies ahead, 2-0. Goodman’s bloop double to right scored Moniak, pushing the Rockies’ lead to 3-0.

Over his last three games, Goodman has gone 9 for 12 with two homers, two doubles and nine RBIs.

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