MAJOR LEAGUE UPDATE:
GLENDALE — The following are updates on area Major League Baseball players.
Jason Hirsh (St. Francis High, 2000) Colorado Rockies starting pitcher: After being placed on the disabled list on March 30 to start the season due to a right shoulder strain, Hirsh has been rehabbing in extended spring training.
Hirsh was scheduled to throw in an intrasquad game on Wednesday, a major step in the recovery process.
“This will be his first game he’s thrown in, so we have to see how [it] goes before we progress him to the next step,” Rockies head athletic trainer Keith Dugger told MLB.com. “We’re getting on a four-day, five-rotation, depending on how he feels.”
No exact date has been set for his return, though the struggling Rockies (18-29) could use a boost in their rotation.
The defending National League champions are just 3-8 in their past 11 games.
Gregg Zaun (St. Francis High, 1989) Toronto Blue Jays catcher: Mired in a one-for-15 slump entering Wednesday, Zaun snapped out in a big way.
The 37-year-old backstop collected two hits in three at bats and drove in a run with a two-out single in the sixth inning of a 4-3 loss to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
Zaun also collected a walk in the loss and was pinch run for late in the game.
With his big game Wednesday, Zaun raised his average from .252 to .263.
On the season, the veteran has knocked in six runs while scoring 11 of his own.
The Blue Jays are currently 23-25 and sit in fourth place in the American League East Division, trailing the Boston Red Sox, Tampa Bay Rays and Baltimore Orioles.
Freddy Sanchez (Glendale Community College, 1998) Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman: Sanchez, a former Burbank High standout, saw his batting average dip to .258 on Wednesday after he finished one for five in the Pirates’ 4-1 loss against the Milwaukee Brewers.
Sanchez, a two-time All-Star, has now collected hits in seven of his past eight games played, but has yet to regain the form that helped him capture the 2006 National League batting crown.
The 30-year-old has scored 19 runs this year while knocking in 21.
The Pirates are currently 21-25 and in fifth place in the National League Central Division.
Doug Slaten (Glendale Community College, 1999) Arizona Diamondbacks relief pitcher: Slaten didn’t make an appearance in the Diamondbacks’ 3-1 loss to the streaking Florida Marlins on Wednesday, but he has been a model of consistency this season.
In his most recent appearance on Saturday, Slaten pitched 2/3 scoreless innings in a 3-2 defeat at the hands of the Detroit Tigers.
On the season, the left-handed specialist has surrendered just 10 hits in 13 2/3 innings of work.
He boasts a solid 2.63 earned run average and opponents are hitting .200 off him for the season.
The Diamondbacks, the defending National League West Division champions, currently own the best record in baseball at (28-18).