Colorado Rockies: 3 things we learned from the New York Mets series

For the Colorado Rockies offense, it was appropriate that the team was wearing camouflage hats this weekend to commemorate Armed Forces Day. After scoring just one run combined in a pair of losses that pushed the Rockies to lose the series at Coors Field, the offense has certainly gone into hiding.

Here are three things we learned from the Colorado Rockies dropping a three-game home series to the New York Mets

In the series, the Colorado Rockies dropped 5-1 and 2-0 decisions to the Mets while recording an 11-3 win in the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader. If you’re into run differential, the Rockies posted a plus-2 this weekend. If you’re into the standings, the Rockies sunk further into the National League West cellar and further from the .500 mark (now 19-21 on the season).

What are our three biggest takeaways from the series from the Rockies point of view?

Brian Serven can hit at the MLB level

Serven made history at Coors Field on Saturday night as part of Colorado’s runaway win, bashing a pair of two-run home runs for his first-ever MLB hits. With his single on Sunday, Serven is now 3-for-10 at the plate in his young career.

“He’s off to a good start for sure,” said Colorado manager Bud Black. “He is playing very confidently, which is great, and seems very poised as well.”

How will the Rockies balance Serven (who made the start on Sunday after hitting his pair of homers on Saturday night) and Elias Díaz, who went 2-for-20 (with five strikeouts) on the homestand? Díaz is the veteran and will continue to grab the majority of starts, but Serven is an interesting addition to the mix and gives the Rockies options with Dom Nuñez currently at Triple-A but likely to be back when the Rockies feel he has gotten enough playing time in Albuquerque (he entered Sunday hitting 2-for-17 since being sent down).

Scoring subsides

After scoring two or more runs in 84 straight games at Coors Field, Colorado scored one run or less in two of three games against the Mets (including their third shutout in 40 games). It’s a troubling sign for a team that now hits the road for three games in Pittsburgh and four in Washington.

It’s also a tough way for the Rockies to end their longest homestand of the season. Colorado went 3-6 against the Kansas City Royals, San Francisco Giants, and Mets.

Defense is still a problem

With an error on Sunday, Colorado has now committed 32 on the season. That’s tied for the second-worst in baseball with the Washington Nationals, and just one behind league-leading Arizona.

On Sunday, it was right fielder Randal Grichuk with the gaffe, fumbling a sixth-inning line drive by Brandon Nimmo that allowed the Mets outfielder to reach third with one out. The Mets followed with two hits, with a Francisco Lindor single plating Nimmo and a Jeff McNeil double sending Lindor home.

Those were the only two runs the Mets would score and would need to record the win.

“Both in the infield and in the outfield, we have to keep working at it,” Black said of his team’s miscues. “We have to get better and we get better through practice.”