Defensive woes were glaring on road trip

The Red Sox went 1-5 on their most recent road trip after being swept by the Dodgers and dropping two of three to the Rockies. The club had Thursday off and will begin a three-game set against the Yankees starting friday.

Here are some observations from the two series out of the break:

● Manager Alex Cora inked a new three-year deal Wednesday and before the ink could even dry up, his club had already suffered a 20-7 beatdown at the hands of Colorado.

It happens.

But in that series, or game, it was clear where the Sox needed to see some improvements: infield defense. Cora always says that when he played he always hated hitting. It was a grind for him, whereas the defensive side came easy. He was a sure-handed infielder who didn’t have any trouble turning the double play. So, one could imagine that the Sox manager might need a little Advil after watching his team’s infield defense from time to time.

The Rockies, despite constantly scraping the bottom of the barrel in the majors, have one of the better defenses in baseball. The way their players moved in the infield, got to balls, and turned and finished double plays was done at an elite level. The numbers back it up. The Rockies are tied for having the seventh-fewest errors in the majors with 49. They are tied for first in double plays turned, anchored by Ezequiel Tovar at second.

On the contrary, the Sox have made 74 errors, the most in baseball. They are ranked 21st in the majors with just 21 double plays turned. Ceddanne Rafaela has helped to stabilize shortstop and the infield. But when he plays center field, that’s when things seem to become a bit erratic for the Sox defenders in the dirt.

● The loss of Justin Slaten and Chris Martin has left a gaping hole in the Sox’ bullpen. The Sox have had to patch together the back part of the bullpen in his absence.

The bullpen struggled for the first four contests. But perhaps the Sox can be optimistic about Greg Weissert, who has tussled to find his footing, last two appearances, going two innings (one in each) in scoreless fashion. The Sox made some adjustments to Weissert’s hands. Initially when he came set, Weissert’s hands were down by his right hip. When he would get into his leg lift, his glove would come up near his ear. The Sox have since modified that latter move. Now, when he gets into his leg lift his glove/hands don’t go any higher than his chest with the hope that it could help him become more consistent in the strike zone.

“I think he eliminates a lot of stuff,” said Cora. “It’s more simple. fastball command has been great. [Jason Varitek] made a point after the first game at Coors field, like, finally, he’s been able to get the four-seamer up which is a very good pitch for him.”

Devers update

Rafael Devers hit in the DH spot Wednesday to rest his right shoulder, which he injured diving for a ball Tuesday. He’s expected to be back at third friday . . . Triston Casas has begun taking batting practice and could begin a rehab assignment next week, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said on WEEI Thursday . . . The Red Sox will open up a three-game set against the Yankees. Here are the rotations for the series: Nestor Cortes vs. Brayan Bello; Marcus Stroman vs. Kutter Crawford; Carlos Rodón vs. Tanner Houck. The Yankees are 4-6 in their last 10 games after getting swept by the Mets Wednesday.