In a span of 61 pitches tonight, Jason Hirsh demonstrated why the Rockies were adamant he be included in the Jason Jennings trade.
Hirsh worked off a steady 90 mph fastball, mixed in his changeup and allowed just three hits in Colorado’s 6-2 victory over the New York Mets at Coors Field.
In a span of five minutes, Hirsh illustrated why he’s a threat on the bases – to himself. Hirsh was 1-for-42 when he singled in two runs in his second at-bat.
In the sixth inning, however, he legged out an infield single, setting in motion an undesirable speed and agility test during the second-hottest night game (95 degrees) in Rockies’ history.
Hirsh advanced to second on a sacrifice and to third on a single, then sprained his right ankle on the third-base bag as Mets catcher Paul Lo Duca attempted to pick him off.
Hirsh, who won for just the second time since April 22, attempted to walk off the injury but eventually limped to the dugout as he smacked his batting helmet repeatedly. Because of Thursday’s off day and the upcoming all-star break, there’s a chance that Hirsh will avoid the disabled list.
Pitching to secure his rotation spot, Hirsh turned in arguably his best performance of the season. He allowed a season low in hits and runs (zero) while throwing 44 strikes.
His efficiency sat in stark contrast to the rotation’s work during the road trip. The starters were 1-5 with an 8.17 ERA, including a pair of losses by Hirsh.
Sitting on 297 career wins, the Mets’ Tom Glavine offered little resistance to the Rockies, a team that he had gone 11-5 with a 2.88 ERA against in his career.
They tagged him for six runs in the third inning. His critical mistake came against all-star Matt Holliday. With two runners aboard, the National League’s leading hitter crushed a 78 mph changeup into the left-field seats. Hirsh capped the six-run inning with a single down the right-field line.
In a non-save situation, Manny Corpas worked a scoreless ninth inning.
