Go to the mobile version of this Web site.

Login | Contact Us | Site Map | Paid archives | Electronic edition | Subscription Questions | Extras

Finally, Rockies' road is not filled with potholes

Hirsh, Spilborghs help lift Colorado to .500 as a visitor

Tracy Ringolsby, Rocky Mountain News

Published June 11, 2007 at midnight

Text size  

More Colorado Rockies

More stories »

Box score

BALTIMORE - The Rockies are on a mission.

They want to make people believe in them, as a team and as individual players.

Chalk up the Baltimore Orioles as converts.

Rookie right-hander Jason Hirsh and reserve outfielder Ryan Spilborghs had the biggest games of their careers in the Rockies' 6-1 win against the Orioles at Camden Yards on Sunday afternoon. And the Rockies continued on their climb to respectability.

Off today, they will walk into Fenway Park on Tuesday night to begin a three-game series against the Boston Red Sox after winning their third consecutive road series. They evened their road record at 15-15 and are only one game below .500 overall (31-32) for the first time since they were 7-8 on April 18.

"This is a big road trip for us," said Spilborghs, who accounted for all the Rockies runs, driving in a career-high six with a single and two home runs, his first two this season. "We are going to take on the Red Sox in their park, and we are trying to get to .500, so we needed to take care of business (in Baltimore)."

Hirsh certainly took care of his business. A week removed from being told by manager Clint Hurdle to get his game in order or make plans for a return visit to the minor leagues, Hirsh built off a two-run, six-inning effort against Houston on Tuesday night by pitching the first complete game of his career. In his five-hit effort, he retired 19 of the 20 batters he faced after picking off Brian Roberts at second base in the third.

"After that," Hirsh said, "I really felt the momentum shifted our way. Obviously, it helps when 'Spilly' hits two bombs like that."

What helps most of all, though, is when Hirsh gets aggressive, building his game off his fastball and throwing strikes. In limiting the Orioles to only one run - Miguel Tejada singled to start the second and Aubrey Huff followed with a run-scoring double -Hirsh allowed only one walk.

"Winning the series is great for us," Hirsh said. "We're a club headed in the right direction."

It certainly hasn't been an easy journey for the Rockies after they stumbled through the opening weeks of the season. Just three weeks ago, they were nine games below .500, a 6-5 loss at Arizona dropping them to 18-27, and stuck in the National League West basement. Then came back-to-back wins in Arizona and a franchise-first sweep in San Francisco, followed up by a 6-4 homestand. Then the visit to Baltimore produced two wins in three games.

"The most important thing is, everybody is throwing something in," Hurdle said. "Hirsh kind of pitched himself into a corner and now he's pitching himself out of a corner."

Hirsh faced enough uncertainty a week ago that there was debate about whether to not only drop him from the rotation but send him to Triple-A Colorado Springs when Josh Fogg was activated from the disabled list Thursday. Sure, he was a key to the trade that sent Jason Jennings to Houston, but he had gone 0-4 in a seven-start stretch in which he allowed 28 earned runs in 39 2/3 innings. His ERA had jumped from 3.16 to 5.10.

He lost his start against Houston on Tuesday but allowed only two runs in six innings. Then he overcame a shaky beginning Sunday to shut down the Orioles, who might be in fourth place in the American League East but have the division's second-best home record (16-13).

"The last two starts are great steps in the right direction, the way I should be the rest of the season," Hirsh said.

Spilborghs, meanwhile, knows he most likely will remain the fourth outfielder on a team with three solid starters. But with the designated hitter used for interleague games in AL parks, he is enjoying some regular at-bats. He started in center field, left field and right field in the three games at Baltimore.

And he showed he was a quick learner Sunday. When he came up with the bases loaded in the first, he allowed the count to get deep, and after seeing three Erik Bedard curveballs, he grounded out to end the inning.

He hit a 2-0 pitch for a tying home run against Bedard in the fourth, then drove in two runs with a single on a 1-2 pitch for a 3-1 lead in the fifth.

"He stayed on the ball in a tough count and he drove the ball the other way (to right field for the single)," Hurdle said.

"Everybody continually says he's an overachiever, but he's gotten better and better since he's been here."