Colorado Rockies-New York Yankees Series Preview

It’s finally time for a series that the Colorado Rockies have been touting to fans since the schedule first came out … the New York Yankees are coming to town.

The two-game series starting on Tuesday marks the first time since 2013 (and just the fourth time ever) that the Yankees have visited the Mile High City. In return, the Rockies will visit Yankee Stadium on June 21-22, the first time Colorado has been inside new Yankee Stadium and just the third-ever visit for the Rockies to the Bronx.

Overall, Colorado is 6-9 against the Yankees. Colorado’s last win came on May 7, 2013, when Jorge De La Rosa scattered three hits over six innings in a 2-0 Rockies victory. De La Rosa will be back on the mound when the 2016 series begins on Tuesday at Coors Field.

To get a look at this year’s Yankees, I reached out to Stacey Gotsuilas, who writes for our fellow FanSided site, Call To The Pen, and other baseball-related sites. She also wrote this amazing, heartfelt article on why she became a baseball and Yankees fan.

Rox Pile: Hovering around the .500 mark, how would you describe the Yankees season so far? Success, failure, or somewhere in between?

Gotsuilas: It’s been a very odd season so far. It’s definitely not a success and I wouldn’t deem it a failure, so I guess it’s somewhere in between. Michael Pineda and Luis Severino’s performances, and the fact that a large percentage of the lineup took a while to start hitting, didn’t help them at all.

Rox Pile: What has been the biggest good surprise and bad surprise on the Yankees this season?

Gotsuilas: The biggest good surprise is obviously CC Sabathia. His comeback has been amazing to watch. He’s finally learned how to pitch with diminished velocity, which has been a big key in his performance. The biggest bad surprise was how awful Mark Teixeira had been before he injured his knee. He’s usually a slow starter, but he was putrid leading up to the injury.

Rox Pile: There’s been a lot of talk lately about the No Runs DMC crew in the bullpen. Has their success given Yankees fans a reason to move on from Mariano Rivera’s retirement?

Gotsuilas: I think Yankee fans moved on from Mo’s retirement a while ago. Plus, in a way, Mo’s injury in 2012 prepared everyone for life after Mo. But is it fun to watch Dellin Betances, Andrew Miller and Aroldis Chapman come out of the bullpen? Of course it is.

Rox Pile: Rockies fans will know all about A-Rod, Carlos Beltran, and Mark Teixeira. Who’s a Yankees player that Colorado fans maybe don’t know about who will make an impact in this series?

Gotsuilas: I can’t think of anyone that Rockies fans wouldn’t know. They know guys like Brian McCann, Didi Gregorius, and Starlin Castro because they all played in the National League before joining the Yankees. Maybe Betances. It is pretty fun watching someone throw a 98 mph fastball and follow it up with an 85 mph curveball.  Well, not for the opposition.

Rox Pile: Joe Girardi has been rumored to be on the hot seat through the early parts of the season. Was that overblown? If not, do you think he’s still on it?

Gotsuilas: I believe it was overblown. Joe Girardi didn’t construct the current roster so he shouldn’t be blamed for the team underperforming. I think he’s fine right now.

Next: The Complete List of Colorado's Draft Picks

Rox Pile: Who’s a Colorado Rockies player that you think would look really good in Yankee pinstripes rather than purple pinstripes?

Gotsuilas: Nolan Arenado! Definitely. I think it could be fun to see how he’d perform in Yankee Stadium.