Rockies felled by early defensive mishap, late Yankees burst

Rockies Report, Game 144:

ROCKIES BOTTOM LINE: A poorly-executed bit of fielding and decision-making from left fielder Jake McCarthy — who committed two errors on a single play — put the Yankees in front early and was the defining moment of what would become a 5-3 Colorado loss at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday night.

McCarthy’s season has been filled with memorable moments. But his work in the bottom of the first went into the memory banks for all the wrong reasons. With two outs and Cody Bellinger on first base, Luis García dropped a fly ball into shallow left-center field. McCarthy ran forward to field the ball on a hop, but failed to corral it, knocking it forward and allowing Bellinger and García to reach second and third.

But instead of throwing it to shortstop Ezequiel Tovar to get it back into the infield and end the play, McCarthy attempted to throw toward home plate — but no one was there. Pitcher Gabriel Hughes scrambled, but ultimately catcher Hunter Goodman had to field the ball as it careened toward the backstop.

Belli scores with some heads-up base running! 🏃‍♂️💨 pic.twitter.com/wN7Ldul3JX

— YES Network (@YESNetwork) September 8, 2026

Bellinger scored easily.

When asked by media after the game, Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer said that he would “have to go back and look” at the play.

“I know that the ball can’t get away; I know that on the throw. But I can’t give you a definitive answer because the eyes are going all over the place during that play.”

That run was costly against Yankees starter Cam Schlittler, who made one big mistake — which Adael Amador punished. Schlittler hung a sinker just above the strike zone, and Amador clubbed it into the right-field stands, tying the game at 1-apiece in the third inning.

Say goodbye 👋 pic.twitter.com/Kt7Lltu6qp

— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) September 8, 2026

After keeping the Yankees attack in check much of the night — only allowing one run from the second through the seventh innings — the dam burst in the eighth at the expense of left-handed reliever Brennan Bernardino.

Blas Castaño relieved Bernardino and allowed a pair of hits, but right fielder Jordan Beck prevented the damage from being any worse when he gunned down Jazz Chisolm Jr. as he tried to stretch a single into a double — a play upheld by instant replay.

Those three Yankees runs at the expense of Bernardino proved decisive, as Hunter Goodman took a Tim Hill offering and fired it into the right-field seats with TJ Rumfield on first base, trimming the Yankees’ edge in half, to 5-3. But the Rox came no closer; New York closer David Bednar struck out Mickey Moniak on three pitches to earn the save.

Colorado fell to 55-89, putting the club one defeat away from its fifth-consecutive 90-loss season. Prior to the 2020s, the Rockies had never had more than two-consecutive years with 90 defeats.

Nine of the Rockies’ last 10 games have been decided by two or fewer runs; they’re 2-7 in those games.

ROCKIES STARTER’S REPORT

Unfazed by the Yankee Stadium environment and the early defensive misadventures that put an unearned run on the board, Hughes settled in with perhaps his finest outing of the season, given the circumstances, limiting the Yankees to four hits and one baserunner on a hit-by-pitch over the course of his five innings and 79 pitches of work.

“I thought Gabe was excellent tonight,” Schaeffer said after the game. “He pounded the zone; his stuff was sharp; his spin was good. … I thought he was very sharp in a difficult environment in his young career, so, I thought it was very impressive. A couple of two-strike fastballs yanked to (George) Lombard (Jr.) and Mac (Ryan McMahon) back-to-back for his run in the fifth, but other than that, I thought it was pretty good.”

Hughes absorbed the loss — his seventh without a win — when it came to the official scoring, but it wasn’t deserved. He’s now allowed one run in each of his last two starts, dropping his ERA from 6.61 to 5.81.

BITS AND PIECES

IT WAS DECIDED FOR THE ROCKIES WHEN: Ramos pounced on a Bernardino curveball that settled in the inside half of the strike zone and clobbered it 402 feet into the bullpen for a three-run homer that increased New York’s lead to 5-1.

NUMBER TO NOTE: 0.73 — Bernardino’s ERA over 28 appearances from July 1 through this past weekend’s series against St. Louis prior to allowing four baserunners — including Ramos, who went yard — without recording an out in the eighth.

WHAT’S NEXT: The Rockies send Tomoyuki Sugano to the mound for a battle of right-handers. Will Warren pitches for the Yankees. First pitch is set for 5:05 p.m. MDT.

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