DENVER (AP) — Nolan Jones led off the 11th inning with a tying, two-run homer off Nick Ramirez, Alan Trejo hit a game-ending drive off Ron Marinaccio and the Colorado Rockies beat the Yankees 8-7 Sunday to take two of three from New York.
Colorado, a National League-worst 36-58, overcame a 3-1 deficit when C.J. Cron hit an eighth-inning grand slam off Clay Holmes, the first home run allowed by the right-hander this season. “I was trying to make a sinker down,” Holmes said. “It was a spot in the ballgame where we needed a big out, but unfortunately it stayed up and couldn’t get that out.”
New York tied the score in the ninth against Daniel Bard on Gleyber Torres' run-scoring infield single and Harrison Bader's sacrifice fly.
Playing into the 11th for the first time this year, the Yankees opened a 7-5 lead against Gavin Hollowell (1-0) on run-scoring singles by Oswaldo Cabrera and Oswald Pereza, who was recalled from the minors when Josh Donaldson was put on the injured list Sunday because of a strained right calf.
Jones hit a 450-foot home run on a fastball and drove in Cron, the automatic runner. Trejo hit his first homer in 128 plate appearances this season on a hanging slider from Marinaccio (4-5), dropping New York to 5-7 in extra innings.
“It felt fantastic,” Trejo said. “It was one of those where I felt I got enough of it to get over the fence. It was a hanging slider and I put a good swing on it.”
Hollowell got his first major league win.
New York has lost six of eight and is tied for last in the AL East at 50-44. The Yankees fell to 15-19 since reigning AL MVP Aaron Judge sprained his right big toe on June 3.
Colorado’s three starting pitchers in the series were Austin Gomber (6.19 ERA), Connor Seabold (7.18) and Chase Anderson (6.26), who pitched five scoreless innings Sunday.
Anthony Rizzo was 0 for 4 with an inning-ending flyout that stranded the bases loaded in the third, He has gone 41 games without a home run since May 20, hitting ,196 with 11 RBIs.
New York headed to a series at the Los Angeles Angels.
“We've got 2 1/2 months to put ourselves in a position to be championship-caliber,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “It's on us. We've got to go prove that. As far as who we're playing, this is Major League Naseball. You're going to beat some good teams. You're going to lose some series to teams that are struggling. It's a grind every time you go out there. They outlasted us today. We're obviously (angry) in the moment that we lost a series, but it's a series. We've got to move on from it and go try to play well in California.”
Gerrit Cole, who started for the American League in Tuesday’s All-Star Game, struck out 11 in his 59th double-digit strikeout game. He allowed two hits in six innings, giving up his only run on Michael Toglia’s second-inning homer.
Colorado loaded the bases in the eighth against Tommy Kahnle, and Cron followed with his sixth career slam.
K CORNER Cole’s 24th double-digit strikeout game with the Yankees surpassed Ron Guidry for the team record.
Cole said he was humbled to be mentioned alongside Guidry.
“It’s hard to comprehend to be honest," Cole said. “He’s one of the all-time Yankee greats. Any time you’re mentioned with him in a sentence or blessed enough to pass something he set, it’s a humbling experience, a humbling moment.” TRAINER’S ROOM
Yankees: Donaldson is on the IL for the second time this season. He was sidelined from April 5 to June 2 due to a right hamstring strain.
UP NEXT
Yankees: RHP Luis Severino (1-4, 7.38 ERA) starts Monday night’s series opener against the Angels and RHP Griffing Canning (6-4, 4.62). Severino planned to pitch exclusively from the stretch to avoid tipping pitches.
Rockies: Open a two-game series Tuesday against Houston, which starts RHP Hunter Brown (6-2, 4.12).
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Dennis Georgatos, The Associated Press
