DENVER -- With new hitting coach Sean Casey on board and the unofficial “second half” of the regular season opening, the Yankees were looking for a fresh start Friday night when they took the field against the Rockies at Coors Field. 

Ever since superstar slugger Aaron Judge tore a ligament in his right toe on June 3, New York’s lineup had been mired in a thick malaise that had it ranked near the bottom of the Majors in most offensive categories. The result was a fourth-place standing in the American League East, 8 1/2 games behind the first-place Rays and one game out of a Wild Card spot.

So with the infectious enthusiasm of Casey injected into the equation and news prior to the game that Judge had taken another step forward in his recovery, things were looking up. They were looking even better when Gleyber Torres opened the game with a single and Giancarlo Stanton followed by crushing a Statcast-projected 455-foot homer to give the Yankees a near-instant 2-0 lead.

But that was the beginning and the end of the scoring for New York in a 7-2 loss to Colorado that left a listless club still searching for answers.

“Overall, we’ve got to generate more [offense],” manager Aaron Boone said. “That’s not the way we wanted to start the series.”

Or the second half. With the loss, the Yankees fell into a last-place tie in the AL East with the Red Sox, marking the first time since 1990 that they’ve found themselves in the cellar this late into a season.

“I wasn’t born yet,” said the 26-year-old Torres when he was informed of that fact. Torres had three of New York’s eight hits, adding singles in the third and eighth innings. Aside from those hits, Stanton’s homer and a bloop double Stanton added in the sixth, the Yankees mustered just three singles.

“I know there’s a lot of panic outside the clubhouse, people talking about where we are,” Torres said. “But we’ve got more games left, it’s got to be little by little. I think, tomorrow, let’s start winning some games and we’ll see where we are in October.”

Beyond the hope that a new hitting coach will jumpstart a lifeless lineup, the Yankees are also banking on stronger starting pitching in the second half with left-handers Carlos Rodón and Nestor Cortes back in the rotation. 

While Cortes is still on the injured list and not due back until possibly next month, Rodón made his second start with the Yankees and his second career start at Coors Field on Friday. 

Rodón wasn’t as sharp as he was in his Yankees debut on July 7, just prior to the All-Star break (he had been out all season to that point with a left forearm strain). He fought his command all night, throwing three wild pitches and often finding himself behind in the count.

But he made some big pitches when he needed to, keeping the Yankees within striking distance at a ballpark where runs can go up on the board quickly. Overall, he went five innings, allowing four runs on four hits and two walks while striking out six on 88 pitches (51 strikes).

“I was in a lot of hitter's counts in that [three-run] second inning. I’ve just gotta work on getting ahead,” Rodón said. “ … I definitely wasn’t good. I don’t know if it’s rust. I mean, it’s just baseball. It wasn’t good tonight. Let’s just put it that way.”

Rodón noted that his fastball command just wasn’t there, and he found a feel for his slider late, but by that point, the damage had been done. With a lineup that is still struggling, there is little margin for error.

Friday’s loss came in the Yankees’ first game following an All-Star break over which general manager Brian Cashman dismissed a coach during the season for the first time in his 25-year tenure.

With the departure of Dillon Lawson and the arrival of Casey, who slashed .302/.367/.447 over a 12-year Major League career, there was hope in the Bronx that a major shakeup would provide the jolt the Yankees’ offense needed to get in gear.

Prior to Friday’s game, there was a hitters’ meeting that left its attendees feeling good about what’s to come.

“The energy is really good,” Torres said. “We had a really good conversation earlier today. [Casey] has played a lot of baseball. He knows about those moments when players are struggling, and the team, too.

“We didn’t show anything tonight. But tomorrow is another day.”

The trouble for the Yankees is, there are fewer and fewer tomorrows left.