The Hirsh question is where will he wind up after making his third rehab start on Saturday. He'll be on an 85-pitch count with a focus on his fastball and slider (end of the article) that evening. With one bad outing and one good outing so far, Hirsh will need another good outing if he even wants Hurdle and Co. to consider allowing him back into the rotation.
Who's place would he take? Jimenez? Fogg? It may not come down to kicking someone out of the rotation as much as it may be filling in for someone. After Rodrigo Lopez left in the seventh inning with tightness in the right forearm, it's possible he may go on the DL. We may know some time later today if this injury is serious enough to require time on the 15-day DL.
If Lopez does require another stint on that list, it only solves this dilemma for a short time. Jimenez certainly hasn't done anything to kick him out of the rotation. The three runs he allowed in his last start was just one pitch that saw Mike Cameron hit it for a three-run home run. He improved the number of pitches he threw (106 to 91) and went for more innings (five to seven). And for all the grief Fogg receives from some, he does exactly what a fifth starter should do. He can go six to seven innings and can even look pretty good out there some times (like last week).
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Brad Penny makes three. Three big-name pitchers the Rockies have faced since after the All-Star Break have left with an injury. The first was Ben Sheets, then Chris Young, and now Brad Penny. While the Penny injury may not be serious, it does look like the uncertainty of True Blue's rotation will take them out of the Teixeira sweepstakes.
If the Rockies face Dontrelle Willis in their upcoming series against the Marlins, will he and his changed mechanics be the next pitcher to fall?
Also according to the Rosenthal article (two links above), the D'Backs may have some interest in Adam Dunn and Zack Greinke. I had the same thoughts about Greinke as the that executive quoted in the article. Sure, he's nowhere near where he was projected to be, but the Royals control his rights for a few more years.
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It hasn't been the winning decade Helton hoped for, but August 2nd will mark Helton's 10th year in the Majors. He batted fifth and started in left field against the Pirates in that game.