The Rockies’ first winning series of the season was at their fingertips. But the predictable happened in a season that’s been so impossibly bad.
The Yankees beat them, 5-4, on a rain-soaked Sunday afternoon at Coors Field to clinch the three-game series. Colorado fell to 9-44, continuing the worst start in the modern era (since 1901).
When the sun shone late, Mickey Moniak led off the ninth with a 417-foot homer to right off Luke Weaver, making many of the Rocky Mountain Yankees fans squirm in their seats. And when Adael Amador blooped a one-out single to left and Jordan Beck followed with a single to right, Colorado was set up for a walk-off win.
But Weaver won a seven-pitch battle with Ezequiel Tovar and got him to fly out to right field. Weaver then got Hunter Goodman to tap the ball back to the mound for the final out.
The Rockies’ losing formula was familiar. They struck out 13 times and went 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position — fatal flaws in a close game.
Colorado cut New York’s lead to 4-3 in the sixth with key, two-out hits — a single by Ryan McMahon and an RBI double by Brenton Doyle. The Yankees countered with a crucial run in the eighth. Jasson Dominguez coaxed a one-out walk out of reliever Tyler Kinley and stole second base. J.C. Escarra delivered a two-out single to drive in Dominguez to give New York a 5-3 lead.
Rockies starter Antonio Senzatela wasn’t blown off the mound, a la Charlie Brown, but the Yankees knocked him around for four runs on six hits over 4 1/3 innings. He walked one and struck out four. After 11 starts, he owns a 6.50 ERA.
A one-hour, 46-minute rain delay began with two out in the top of the fifth. The Yankees scored twice before the cloudburst to stake a 4-2 lead. Paul Goldschmidt singled off Senzatela, and Ben Rice drew a walk. On came right-hander Jake Bird, Colorado’s most reliable reliever, but Aaron Judge punched an RBI double into the left-field corner, Cody Bellinger drew another walk, and Jasson Dominguez lifted a sacrifice fly to center.
The Yankees struck quickly against Senzatela, combining a leadoff single by Goldschmidt, a one-out single by Judge and an RBI groundout by Bellinger to take a 1-0 lead.
The Rockies immediately countered against Yankees right-hander Will Warren. Jordan Beck led off with a double, Tovar singled and Goodman walked to load the bases. Beck scored on a wild pitch, and Tovar scored on McMahon’s groundout to first to give Colorado a 2-1 lead.
But the Rockies’ hopes for a big inning fizzled when Warren struck out Doyle and Michael Toglia grounded out to short.
The Rockies headed to Chicago after the game to begin their longest road trip of the season, a 10-day, nine-game journey that begins Monday afternoon at Wrigley Field. Colorado faces the Cubs three times, has an off day on Thursday, plays three games in Queens against the Mets, and concludes the trip with a three-game series at Miami.
The Rockies hit the road with a 3-22 record away from Coors Field.
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