Catch the daily spring training roundup each afternoon from Rockies beat writers Troy E. Renck and Patrick Saunders in Tucson. You’ll find insider information on players and what the team is working on as it gets ready for the 2007 season. Check every afternoon for the Rockies Rundown.
The desert scene
The Japanese media turned out in full force today, and with good reason. Mariners star Ichiro Suzuki and Rockies second baseman Kaz Matsui were both in the starting lineup.
Matsui, recovering from an injured foot, was back in the Rockies’ A-game lineup for the first time since March 12.
Today marked the first time the two Japanese stars played each other in a spring game. The only regular-season game in which they played against each other was on June 17, 2005, at Seattle. Suzuki started for the Mariners, going 3-for-4 with a homer and four RBIs. Matsui entered the game in the eighth inning as a defensive replacement for the Mets.
Inside the game
The pitching line doesn’t always tell the story.
Consider rookie Jason Hirsh’s minor-league outing against Arizona on Tuesday. The Rockies’ No. 4 starter gave up six runs in six innings and threw 103 pitches. Not very impressive, to be sure, but Hirsh was thrilled with his performance.
“Finally, the clouds opened up and the sun shined down and my slider came down,” Hirsh said. “I don’t know that it was that dramatic, but I had been trying to experiment with a bunch of different things. And today I really did find my slider and the last three innings I threw a lot of them. I got the kind of swings that I usually get when I’m throwing my good slider.”
Hirsh also was happy that in the last two innings he was able to locate his fastball down-and-in on right-handers.
“When my slider’s working, I’ve got to be able to pitch inside, too,” he said. “If I don’t, they start fishing for that slider.”
Quotable
“He’s crafty, the kind of guy where you go back to the dugout thinking, ‘Man, I can get him,’ but you don’t get him.” — Manager Clint Hurdle on veteran pitcher Brian Lawrence, who’s trying to come back from shoulder surgery.
By the numbers: 8
Steals for center fielder Willy Taveras heading into this afternoon’s game. That’s the most in the majors this spring. He is 8-for-9 on steal attempts and has scored 14 runs in 12 games. Taveras is hitting .444 (12-for-27) over his last nine games.
Staff Writer Patrick Saunders can be reached at 303-954-1428 or psaunders@denverpost.com.
