DENVER (AP) — Colorado Rockies pitcher Kyle Freeland is expected to miss between one month and six weeks because of a strained left elbow and says the pitch clock may have been a factor.

Freeland said the elbow issue is not related to a right shoulder injury sustained this week during a collision at home plate as a pinch runner.

Atlanta’s Spencer Strider and Cleveland’s Shane Bieber are among the pitchers who will miss the season following elbow injuries.

“There has been a lot of talk about pitch clock and sticky stuff and how all that is correlating to this,” Freeland said Friday. “I’m a firm believer that there is something that correlates with pitch clock and pitchers. We are exerting our bodies at 100% every 15 to 18 seconds. You do that, it’s tough. You do that in Colorado, even tougher.”

Freeland said he worked over the offseason to gain velocity. His fastball this season averaged 90.2 mph, the same as last year but higher than in his previous six seasons.

“I do not know if that is any correlation to my injury. I really hope not, because I enjoyed that work process," Freeland said. "I thought it was very good for me and obviously put me in a good spot through spring training with my velocity where I wanted to see it. I really hope that didn’t play a factor, and when I come back it doesn’t hinder me at all.”

The 30-year-old left-hander was placed on the 15-day injured list Friday and reliever Noah Davis was recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque before Friday night's game against Colorado was rained out and rescheduled as part of a day-night doubleheader Sunday.

“There are no tears in the UCL,” Freeland said. “From my understanding, it is an elbow strain and we are working through it.”

Colorado made the move retroactive to Tuesday.

“Relatively speaking, the results of the scan and the doctor’s report, he’s going to be OK,” manager Bud Black said.

Freeland dislocated his shoulder Monday in a ninth-inning collision with Philadelphia pitcher Jeff Hoffman, who was covering at the plate when his pitch got by catcher J.T. Realmuto.

Freeman said the elbow issue began the previous day, when he gave up four runs over five innings in a 5-0 defeat to the Blue Jays.

“It goes back to my start in Toronto,” Freeland said. “Had some discomfort late in my start. It came on gradually, basically from the fifth inning is when I started feeling some uncomfortableness in my forearm. Nothing that raised a huge flag for me. I’ve been sore in starts before later in games.”

Freeland is 0-3 with a 13.21 ERA in four starts. He felt soreness when he threw Wednesday and was examined Thursday after the Rockies returned to Denver.

Peter Lambert will take Freeland’s place in the starting rotation and pitch the second game of the doubleheader.

Federal officials investigating cockpit visit by Rockies coach during United flight

DENVER (AP) — Federal transportation officials are investigating an unauthorized inflight cockpit visit by a coach for the Colorado Rockies baseball team during a United Airlines charter flight last week from Denver to Toronto.

Video surfaced this week that appears to show Rockies hitting coach Hensley Meulens sitting in a pilot's seat while the April 10 flight was at cruising altitude. It is against federal regulations for unauthorized people to be on the flight deck.

He can be seen and heard on the video joking with other people in the cockpit — including a person in a pilot's uniform and at least one other person who does not appear to be an airline employee — and says the plane is at 35,000 feet (10,670 meters).

“Flying the plane, here to Toronto,” Meulens says as he gestures toward the person in uniform sitting next to him.

“I'm going to land the plane tonight. So relax," he says. He then reaches toward the flight controls and pretends to take hold, saying, ”I just press this button ... and it goes down."

Meulens posted the video on social media and later deleted it, but it had already gone viral and was reposted, The Denver Post reported. He could not be immediately reached for comment through the Rockies' administrative offices.

United has suffered a series of problems in recent weeks including a piece of aluminum skin falling off a plane, a tire dropping off another during takeoff, and an engine fire. The Federal Aviation Administration has stepped up its oversight of the carrier, and the airline's CEO has sought to reassure travelers the airline is safe.

A United spokesperson said the airline was conducting its own investigation of the April 10 flight. The airline said the cockpit visit was “a clear violation of our safety and operational policies” and was reported to the Federal Aviation Administration.

“We’re deeply disturbed by what we see in that video, which appears to show an unauthorized person in the flight deck at cruise altitude while the autopilot was engaged,” United spokesperson Russell Carlton said.

The pilots on the flight have been withheld from service while the airline investigates, Carlton said.

Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson Chris Mullooly said the agency was investigating but provided no further details because it’s an open investigation.

“Federal regulations restrict flight deck access to specific individuals,” he said.

The cockpit visit was earlier reported by The Wall Street Journal.

Rockies representatives did not immediately respond to emails and telephone messages seeking comment. Major League Baseball said it was aware and monitoring the Federal Aviation Administration probe.