The Rockies’ Bronx blues continue.

Colorado was swept for the first time in franchise history at new Yankee Stadium this week and dropped to 4-17 all-time in the Bronx. The three-game brooming from Tuesday through Thursday was the Rockies’ second time being swept by the Yankees on the road, with the first coming at the old Yankee Stadium in 2004 in Colorado’s inaugural trip to the Bronx.

The series buoyed New York’s chances of catching the Rays in the American League East, where they sit three games back while also holding a lead for the top AL wild card spot. For the Rockies, the defeats at Yankee Stadium pushed the club closer to its fourth straight 100-loss season.

At 55-91, Colorado needs to go 8-8 over the remaining 16 games to avoid that dubious distinction. The Rockies’ road trip continues with a three-game series at Detroit beginning Friday, followed by a homestand against the Padres, Mariners and Diamondbacks before the season concludes with a three-game series at the White Sox.

‘Flat embarrassing’ defense

In New York’s 5-3 victory in Tuesday’s series opener, a defensive lapse in the first inning foreshadowed how the rest of the series would go. Left fielder Jake McCarthy kicked a ball as it bounced to him, enabling a pair of Yankees baserunners to each move up 90 feet. Then McCarthy nonchalantly lobbed his throw into the infield to… no one. Catcher Hunter Goodman wasn’t paying attention, and the ball rolled all the way to the backstop, enabling New York to take a 1-0 lead. Rockies play-by-play announcer Drew Goodman didn’t mince his words, describing the play as “flat embarrassing.” McCarthy yelled after the throw, confused about why Hunter Goodman wasn’t paying attention. Entering Thursday, the Rockies ranked third-worst in baseball with 93 errors on the season. The difference in the game ended up being Heliot Ramos’ three-run homer in the 8th off southpaw Brennan Bernardino, Colorado’s best reliever.

Homers sink Rockies

In the Yankees’ 6-1 win in Game 2 on Wednesday, the long ball was Colorado’s undoing. Right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano gave up a solo bomb to Luis García Jr. in the opening inning before George Lombard Jr. tagged him for a grand slam in the third inning to make it 5-0. Cody Bellinger added on in the eighth with a solo shot off Juan Mejia. The trio of homers highlights what’s been a season-long issue for the Colorado pitching staff, which, entering Thursday, had surrendered 196 homers, the fourth-most in baseball. New York homered twice again on Thursday in the Yankees’ 10-3 win in the series finale, including another grand slam, this time by Anthony Volpe off Jimmy Herget in the seventh to blow the game open. Rockies starters have given up 125 homers, the third-most of any rotation behind the Braves and Cubs’ tied tally of 136.

Strikeouts keep mounting

The recent swing-and-miss by the Colorado offense has been astounding. During the club’s current four-game losing streak that began with a 10-8 loss to the Cardinals at home last Sunday, the Rockies have struck out a total of 52 times. That included 29 Ks and just one walk over the final game of the St. Louis series and the first game of the Yankees series, only the second time in club history that the Rockies have struck out at least 29 times and walked once or fewer times in a two-game span. That also happened in 2023, and the last non-Rockies team to do so was the Braves in 2022. During this stretch, Colorado’s hitters are consistently chasing and also whiffing on hittable pitches in the zone.

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