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Red-hot Rockies face Blue Jays, look to continue stellar play

Jun 22, 2007 - 12:41 PM Colorado (38-34) at Toronto (34-37) 7:07 pm EDT

TORONTO (Ticker) - The Colorado Rockies are coming off an extremely impressive series against the New York Yankees. Now, they will take on another American League East club.

The Rockies will start a 10-game road trip when they take on the Toronto Blue Jays in the opener of a three-game set Friday night.

Colorado is coming off a sweep of the Yankees, yielding just five runs to the powerful hitting club. On Thursday, Matt Holliday's run-scoring single in the fifth inning plated Kaz Matsui as the Rockies defeated the Yankees, 4-3, in the series finale.

It has been a stellar stretch for the surprising Rockies, who have won seven of eight and 20 of their last 27 games. Colorado now is 3 1/2 games behind the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks in the crowded National League West.

They will look to continue their climb behind Jason Hirsh (3-6, 4.78 ERA), who allowed five runs and six hits in 4 1/3 frames but did not figure in the decision in a 10-5 win over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on Saturday night.

In his previous two starts, the righthander went 1-1 with a 1.80 ERA.

The Blue Jays will counter with Josh Towers (2-5, 5.29), who has struggled recently, going 0-2 with a 5.73 ERA in his last two outings. He yielded four runs and seven hits in seven frames in a 4-2 loss to Washington on Sunday.

It is not the first appearance vs. Colorado for Towers, who allowed five runs and eight hits in five innings in an 8-3 loss on May 19, 2006.