Jason Hirsh has spent a long season on a journey of rediscovery, almost entirely in Colorado Springs, and will therefore be making his first 2008 start for the Rockies tonight. Greg reynolds showed five nights ago that he still isn't ready to step to the MLB plate, far from it, let's hope Hirsh shows himself a little closer tonight.

Haren's had a solid season for the Diamondbacks and isn't to blame for the team's inability to hold their divisional lead, but clearly Arizona had more in mind when it traded for him last winter. It's been my theory that the Haren trade amounts to an inversion of an hourglass for Josh Byrnes, wherein the team now has a limited window -about three seasons, I would say- to accomplish success before the effects of age start ravaging the current team and a weak farm system will cause it to collapse inward. Year one has gone by and already some symptoms of this inward tumble have materialized. The Diamondbacks lacked the depth to deal with injuries to Orlando Hudson or the tired arm of Brandon Webb, while the Dodgers had enough to acquire useful parts and surge to the finish.

The Rockies scored once the first time they faced Haren, twice the second, three times on Monday, let's see if they can get at least four tonight,

Go Rockies!