NEWS
April 2007
March 2007
July 29, 2008
It was another rough outing for Jason last night as he took on the Oklahoma RedHawks at home in Colorado Springs. He went 7 innings giving up 8 runs on 11 hits while walking 3 and striking out 3. He gave up 3 homeruns, all to Nate Gold, but managed to keeps his walks to a minimum. He picked up a no-decision as the Sky Sox came back in the bottom of the 9th and scored 6 runs to walk-off and win the game 12-9. Mark Redman picked up the win in relief allowing 1 unearned run in 2 innings of work. Rumore had spread that Jason was the probable pitcher for last night's game against the Pirates, but the Rockies instead purcheased the contract of Valerio De Los Santos to make the spot start, citing that Jason needed to work on his command and arm strength before they brought him back up. Jason's next start is slated for Friday, August 1st against the Iowa Cubs in Iowa. It is possible though he might get called up and be put back in the Rockies rotation.
Matt had a good day at the plate Sunday afternoon going 1 for 3 with a walk and 2 runs scored in the Oneders loss to the Isotopes at El Camino Real High School. He is now batting .423 in 8 games for the Oneders. The Oneders had a 5 run lead heading into the 6th inning when they fell apart and made 5 errors and gave up 6 runs. They lost by a score of 12-9. Their last game is next Sunday at Grant High School.
July 21, 2008
Jason struggled in his latest start against the Portland Beavers Friday night in Portland, Oregon. He had a rough first inning as he gave up 4 runs and walked 3. He finished the night giving up 5 runs on 7 hits while walking 5 in 4 innings of work. He took a no-decision as the Sky Sox came back to tie the game, but lost 6-5. His next start will come Wednesday, July 23rd, against the New Orleans Zephyrs at home in Colorado Springs.
July 14, 2008
It was a successful weekend for the Hirsh brothers and Jason and Matt both performed well in their games. Jason threw 6 solid innings Saturday night against the Fresno Grizzlies giving up 3 runs on 7 hits while striking out 3 and walking 3 (1 intentional). He earned a no-decision but the Sky Sox won 6-5 in 11 innings. The Sky Sox and the rest of the Minor Leagues are on their respective All-Star breaks and will resume play on Friday, July 18, which is Jason's next start.
Matt had a great day at the plate yesterday for the Oneders going 2 for 2 with a walk and RBI. He tripled in a run in the 2nd inning and singled in the 5th, and walked in the 7th. He also pitched a perfect 9th inning.
July 9, 2008
Jason had another solid outing Monday night against the Sacramento River Cats. He threw 5 innings giving up 1 run on 2 hits while striking out 4 and walking a career-high 7 batters. Although he was wild, Jason was able to pitch his way out of trouble and only give up 1 run. He also earned his second win of the season to improve to 2-2. His next start will be Saturday at home against the Fresno Grizzlies.
Matt had Sunday off in observence of the 4th of July. He will return to action Sunday at 2pm at Granada Hills High School.
July 3, 2008
Jason made his best start of the year last night against the Tacoma Rainiers. He threw 6 strong innings giving up 1 run on 5 hits while striking out 2 and walking only 1. He earned his first win of the season and improves to 1-2 with a 4.93 ERA in 6 starts for the Sky Sox. He will make his next start Sunday, July 6th at home against the Las Vegas 51s. The afternoon game begins at 1:05pm CST.
June 30, 2008
To view Matt's current hitting stats with the Oneders click on the "Matt's Stats" link above. It has been updated.
The Oneders dropped their double header today at Oak Park High School to the Conejo Red Sox. Matt went 1 for 3 in the first game with a single and a walk. With a 2 run lead going into the bottom of the 9th inning the Red Sox came back to score 3 runs to win the game. In the second game Matt went and 1 for 4 in with a home run and 1 RBI. He also stole his first base of the season. The second game turned out to be a slugfest as the Red Sox crushed the Oneders by scoring 15+ runs. The Oneders are off next week for the 4th of July and will continue on July 13th.
Jason will make his next start for the Sky Sox Tuesday against the Tacoma Rainiers in Tacoma, Washington.
June 27, 2008
Jason was scratched from his start last night in favor of Kip Wells, who is on rehab assignment from his blood clot in his hand. Wells threw 5 innings and Jason came in to relieve Wells in the 6th. He threw 4.1 innings giving up 3 runs on 5 hits while walking 4 and striking out 5. He received the loss for the Sky Sox as they lost to the Portland Beavers 5-4 in 10 innings.
June 25, 2008
Jason had his worst start of the season Friday night against the Salt Lake Bees. Lasting 6 innings, he gave up 6 runs on 9 hits while walking 2 and striking out 1. He is currently 0-1 with a 5.55 ERA in 5 starts for the Sky Sox this season. He will make his next start tomorrow night at Portland.
Matt had a bye week as the PCBL held their All-Star game. He will have a double-header on Sunday at Oak Park High School starting at 10am.
June 17, 2008
Jason made his first Father's Day start on Sunday against the Tucson Sidewinders. He went 6 innings giving up 4 runs on 6 hits while walking 3 and striking out 2. His efforts earned him a no-decision as the Sky Sox scored 6 runs between the 8th and 9th innings to force extra innings. They scored 3 runs in the top of the 11th and won the game by a score of 12-9. His next start will be Friday, the 20th, against the Salt Lake Bees in Salt Lake City.
Matt attended the MLB Scouting Bureau tryout held this past Saturday at the MLB Urban Youth Academy located at Compton College. He went out as an outfielder and posted some pretty impressive numbers. He ran a 6.7 second 60-yard dash (6.9 is the MLB average) and his arm was rated a 5 on the scouting scale, which ranges from 1 to 5. He was chosen to stay around and play in the game and went 0 for 3 with a strikeout. Early Sunday morning he played with the Oneders at the College of the Canyons against the number one team in the league; the Barracudas. With nobody out in the bottom of the 9th inning and his team down by 4, Matt belted a grand slam to left field to tie the game. Time eventually ran out and the Oneders tied the Barracudas by a score of 9-9. He finished the day 2 for 4 with 4 RBI. Next week is the PCBL All-Star break, so Matt will not have a game.
June 13, 2008
Jason was activated from the 60-day disabled list today and was optioned down to Triple-A Colorado Springs. He reamains on the 40-Man Roster but will remain in Triple-A until he is recalled by the big league team.
Matt will be attending a MLB Scouting Bureau tryout tomorrow morning at the MLB Urban Youth Academy located at Compton College. The tryout begins at 9am and will run most of the day.
June 8, 2008
Jason made his second rehab start for the Colorado Springs Sky Sox Thursday night in Colorado Springs. He went 4.1 innings giving up 4 runs on 5 hits, including 2 home runs, while walking 1 and striking out 6. He threw 79 pitches, 49 for strikes. He'll make his next start for the Sky Sox Tuesday, June 10th, against the Fresno Grizzlies in Fresno, CA.
Matt played his 3rd game for the Oneders today at Pierce College against the Astros. He played first base and went 2 for 5 at the plate with 1 RBI. Next week he will be playing against the Barricudas at College of the Canyons.
June 4, 2008
There is a new article about Jason on the Rockies website. You can view it HERE.
June 2, 2008
In his first start of the year against the Salt Lake City Bees, Jason threw 3 innings giving up 1 run on 3 hits while walking 5 and striking out 1. He threw 64 pitches in his debut and will make his second start of the year against the Bees again on Thursday night at home in Colorado Springs.
The Onders of the Pacific Coast Baseball League took on the Platoon yesterday morning at Pierce College. Matt went 0 for 2 at the plate with a fielder's choice and a strikeout in their 10-3 loss. They will play again next Sunday.
May 30, 2008
Jason will be making his first appearance of the season tonight for the Colorado Springs Sky Sox of the Pacific Coast League. He will take on the Salt Lake City Bees (LA Angels Triple-A) in Salt Lake City. This will be his first of at least three rehab starts for the Triple-A squad before rejoining the struggling big league club. The Rockies (20-34) are currently 10 games behind the D-Backs and sit at the bottom of the NL West Division. Plagued by injuries this season, the Rockies have 5 pitchers and 4 starting position players on the disabled list, forcing them to use their resources in Triple-A to help the club.
Matt has decided to make the switch from pitching to being an outfielder/first baseman. His decision came recently and he will continue to workout and play the outfield for the Oneders. Matt has had no collegiate or professional hitting experience. He did however play the outfield in high school and hit .363 his senior year with 8 HR and 19 RBI with 8 stolen bases as well. His only at-bat in college came against the Whittier Poets and got a base hit.
May 21, 2008
Jason will be making two starts in extended spring training in Tucson. His first start will be today (2 innings) and his second again in 5 days, where he'll pitch 3 innings. After his two starts down in Tucson he'll head off on his rehab assignment to Colorado Springs (Triple-A).
Matt has joined a Sunday league team called the Oneders (pronounced "wonders"). He played this past Sunday at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, CA. He is still coming back from an arm injury so he played right field and hit. He went 2 for 3 at the dish with 2 RBIs, a walk, and a run scored. His next game will be in two weeks.
May 12, 2008
Jason travelled with the team to Arizona to continue his rehabilitation. He will throw live batting practice today at Chase Field then head down to Tucson for a week or two to throw to batters in extended spring training, before heading out to Colorado Springs for his rehab starts.
April 29, 2008
Jason traveled back to Colorado to continue with his rehab program. He will throw a 15-20 pitch bullpen today and if it goes well he will be closer to getting back to the Rockies rotation. His estimated date of arrival back in the rotation is sometime in June. He will make 4 or 5 rehab starts for Colorado Springs (AAA) before heading back to the Rockies.
Matt is still searching for an independent team. He went to a tryout for the Orange County Flyers of the Golden Baseball League on April 19th, but did not make the team.
March 29, 2008
Matt was released yesterday by the Colorado Rockies. In their attempts to make their final rosters for this season, Matt did not figure into their equation and was sent home. He will look for another Independent team to play for this year. Last year he spent parts of the season with the York Revolution of the Atlantic League and the Sussex Skyhawks of the Can-Am League.
Back in Tucson, Jason is still rehabbing his shoulder. He is expected to be in there for at least 3 or 4 weeks but could be there longer. The Rockies start their season in St. Louis before heading back to Coors Field for their openening series against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
March 25, 2008
Matt threw 1 inning yesterday in the Double-A game against the Diamondbacks. He had a rough day giving up 4 runs on 5 hits. Rosters are being finalized this week and there are still cuts to be made.
March 21, 2008
Matt threw 2 innings in an intersquad game today. He gave up 2 hits and 2 walks while striking out 1 and allowing 0 runs. He is scheduled to throw again Monday or Tuesday. Meanwhile, the first round of cuts were made in minor league camp Thursday morning and Matt has made the cut. He is still in the Tulsa (Double-A) workgroup and is fighting for a spot in the bullpen. Jason threw off the mound today for the first time since March 1st with no pain and is scheduled to start the year on the 15-day disabled list. He will spend some time in extended spring training to rehab his shoulder before he returns to the team.
March 15, 2008
There is a new blog posted in the BLOG section. Click HERE to read it.
There is also a new article on Jason from the Rocky Mountain News. It was posted February 19th. Click HERE to read it.
March 12, 2008
Jason underwent an MRI on his right shoulder Monday afternoon, which turned out negative. He is sidelined with a strained subscapularis muscle and could possibly start the year on the disabled list. He is undergoing a treatment program to help him recover. Over in minor league camp, Matt threw a live batting practice session on Tuesday afternoon and will throw 1 inning for the Double-A team in tomorrow's game against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
March 6, 2008
Spring training is almost in full swing in Tucson. Rockies position players report Saturday and the first full squad workout will be Sunday. Pitchers reported to camp last Saturday and have been working out for the past week throwing bullpens and conditioning. Spring training games begin on March 13 for the Rockies. In Major League camp, Jason threw 2 scoreless innings in his spring training debut against the Milwaukee Brewers but missed his last start due to shoulder soreness.
January 22, 2008
The Hirsh brothers made a trip to the Children's Hospital of Los Angeles today. They visited patients in the physical therapy/occupational therapy ward and took pictures and signed autographs with the kids and their parents. This was Jason's second appearance at the Children's Hospital. Last season Jason and Dinger, the Rockies mascot, made an apperance at the Children's Hospital at St. Joseph's Hospital. Click HERE to read the article.
Matt will be reporting to spring training with the Rockies on February 29th in Tucson, Arizona. Pitchers and catchers report February 29th and position players report a week later on March 7th.
January 8, 2008
Jason and Matt started their Jaeger Sports Pro Camp yesterday, which will run until they leave for spring training. The camp entails a vigorous stretching and yoga program, which lasts about 3 hours, followed by long toss out on the field.
More exciting news for Matt as he has received an invitation to spring training by the Colorado Rockies. He will leave sometime during the first week in March and will compete for a spot on a full season roster. Jason reports for spring training on February 15th.
December 17, 2007
New updates have been made to the Training section and a new link has been added to the Links section. Be sure to check them out! Also, the Minors section has been changed to the Blog section.
November 9, 2007
Today Matt was put on waivers by the Sussex Skyhakws, which means that he is now a free agent and may begin talking with any teams that are willing to sign him. He will not return to Sussex next year to play in the Can-Am League.
October 23, 2007
The Rockies will open Game 1 of World Series in Boston tomorrow night as Jeff Francis takes on Josh Beckett. The Rockies, who've won 21 of their last 22 games, are coming off 8 days of rest, while Boston is only on two. During the regular season the Rockies took 2 of 3 from the Red Sox and gave Josh Beckett his first loss of the season. Games 3, 4, and 5 are scheduled for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night in Denver.
October 5, 2007
Jason has been down in Tucson, Arizona at the Rockies spring training facility throwing in the Instructional Leagues to get his arm prepared for the National League Championship Series. He comes off the 60-Day Disabled List on Monday, October 8th and will be ready to pitch for the Rockies if they win the Division Series against the Phillies. Game 3 is set for tomorrow night at Coors Field starting at 6:30pm PST on TBS. The Rockies are up 2-0 in the series and look to clinch a NLCS spot with a win in Game 3. The Rockies will send out rookie Ubaldo Jimenez to take on the crafty veteran Jaime Moyer. Tune in to TBS tomorrow night to watch the game.
September 24, 2007
The Rockies are now just 1.5 games out in the race for the wild card. They completed a 4 game sweep of the Dodgers and a 3 game sweep of the Padres to remain in the race for the playoffs. They will play their final 6 games of the season against the NL West. They start a 3 game set against the Dodgers and finish the season with 3 games at home against the NL West leading Arizona Diamondbacks. The Rockies are only 1 game behind the Phillies in the Wild Card and 4 games behind the Diamondbacks in the West.
The Sussex Skyhawks of the Can-Am League have decided to exercise their 2008 option on Matt, which means if he doesn't get back into affiliated ball, Matt will be heading back to play for the Skyhawks for another season.
September 12, 2007
Jason's season has come to a close as the Rockies put him on the 60-Day disabled-list. If the Rockies were to make the playoffs he would be eligible to pitch October 7th, however, it is highly unlikely. He will continue his rehab and get ready for the off-season.
Matt's season came to a close on September 3rd. The Skyhawks finished the second half with a 19-28 record, good enough to share second to last place ahead of the first half champion New Jersey Jackals. Overall the Skyhawks were 34-59. Matt finished the season with Sussex 1-4 with a 7.09 ERA and was 1-8 with an 8.05 ERA for York.
September 1, 2007
Matt's final start of the season wound up being a battle with the North Shore Spirit. He worked 5 innings giving up 5 runs (3 earned) on 6 hits while walking 3 and striking out 3. It was a back and forth battle between the two teams. Matt came out after the 5th inning with the score 7-5. Through 5 innings there were 12 runs scored on 16 hits and 7 errors committed by both teams combined. It was a thrilling game that came to an exciting conclusion. The Skyhawks took an 8-7 lead into the bottom of the 9th inning. Closer Edisbel Benitez retired the first two batters quickly before running into trouble. With a full count, he gave up a 2-out double. With the tying run on 2nd base, Benitez walked the next batter to put the winning run on base. With runners on 1st and 2nd and two outs, the next batter hit a high chopper to 3rd baseman Brian Rios who made a weak off-balance throw to 1st base. The runner from 2nd base tried to score on the play but Skyhawks 1st baseman Jabe Bergeron gunned down the tying run at the plate to end the game. The Skyhawks were victorious 8-7 over the North Shore Spirit. There are only two games left for the Skyhawks before their season comes to and end. They finish the season Monday night at 7pm.
Good and bad news came Jason's way last week. The good news was that his x-ray came back positive and showed that his fractured fibula was healing quite well, however, the bad news is that the Rockies think he might not be able to throw for the rest of the season. It seems as though his injury might take more time than they initially thought, but they are unsure whether or not Jason will be able to pitch again this season. The Rockies are currently 6 games back in the NL west and in the Wild Card race as well.
August 27, 2007
The last game at Skylands Park Sunday afternoon proved to be a good sendoff for Skyhawks fans. Matt took on his former Astros teammate Monte Mansfield and the Atlantic City Surf in a 2:05pm afternoon matinee at Skylands Park. Matt picked up his first win as a Skyhawk tossing 6 strong innings giving up 1 run (unearned) on 5 hits while walking a season-low 3 and striking out 5. The Skyhawks took a 3-1 lead into the bottom of the 7th inning when their bats caught fire for a 5-run inning. The Skyhawks were victorious over the Surf 8-3 and will finish their season with a 7 day road trip. The Skyhawks are playing for pride as they are out of playoff contension, but will look to spoil a possible playoff bid for the current first place North Shore Spirit. Matt will make his final start of the season Saturday night against the North Shore Spirit. In his last start against the Spirit, Matt threw a complete game giving up 3 runs.
Jason will have an x-ray on his ankle Tuesday and if it shows healing he will be able to do more vigorous rehabilitation and hopefully be back out on the mound soon.
August 23, 2007
Control problems plagued Matt again Tuesday night against the New Haven County Cutters. He walked 6 batters in 6 innings of work while surrendering 5 runs on 6 hits and striking out 4. Matt kept the Skyhawks in the game by throwing a scoreless 5th and 6th innings. Trailing 5-1 in the bottom of the 6th inning, the Skyhawks' bats came alive as they plated 4 runs to tie the game at 5. The Skyhawks tacked on 2 more runs in the 7th and 1 more in the 8th to make the score 8-5. Jaime Merchant threw a scoreless 9th inning to record the save as the Skyhawks beat the Cutters. Matt will make two more starts this season; one at home Sunday afternoon against the Atlantic City Surf and finally Saturday, September 1st against the North Shore Spirit.
Jason is still on the diasbled list with his fractured fibula. He has been throwing off flat ground and will likely throw off a mound in the next week or so before making a rehab start. The Rockies are currently 7.5 games out in the NL West but sit only 4.5 games out of the Wild Card race. For more information on the Rockies, visit www.coloradorockies.com.
August 18, 2007
Coming off his best start of the season Matt had another tough start as the Skyhawks dropped the series opener to the Brockton Rox by a score of 9-2 Thursday night in Brockton, MA. He lasted only 4.1 innings giving up 6 runs on 10 hits while walking 3 and striking out 2. Matt struggled with his command in the 4th inning as the Rox plated 3 runs on 4 hits. He exited in the 5th inning with one out and a man on second. Skyhawks reliever Dayle Campbell came in and closed the inning with strike out and a pop fly. The Skyhawks are now 10-20 in the second half and 25-50 on the season. Matt will make his next start Tuesday night at home against the New Haven County Cutters.
August 12, 2007
Matt threw his first complete game as a professional Saturday night against the first place North Shore Spirit. In his best career start, Matt surrendered 3 runs on 6 hits while striking out 6 and walking 4. He allowed only 2 baserunners after the 2nd inning; a walk in the 6th and a home run in the 9th. However, he was rewarded with his 3rd loss of the season as the Skyhawk's bats fell silent to Spirit starter Ryan Bicondoa, as he tossed a complete game as well to beat the Skyhawks 3-2. Matt will look for his first win as a Skhyhawk Thursday night as he takes on the Brockton Rox in Brockton, MA.
August 9, 2007
There is a new entry in Matt's journal. Click HERE to read it.
Unfortunate news for Jason as he might make his second trip to the disabled-list this year. In his last start against the Brewers, he took a line drive off his right leg, fracturing his fibula. Click HERE to read more.
August 8, 2007
Jason turned in another quality start last night at Coors Field against the Brewers. In his second start back from the disabled-list, he tossed 6 strong innings surrendering 3 runs (2 earned) on 3 hits while walking 2 and striking out 1. It looked like he was in line for a no-decision; however, the Rockies offense came alive in the bottom of the 6th inning scoring 5 runs to take the lead 5-3. The Rockies would go on to win 11-4, giving Jason his 5th win this year. Jason is now 5-7 this year with a 4.81 ERA. He will make his next start Sunday afternoon against the surging Chicago Cubs at home in Colorado.
Matt made his 3rd start as a Skyhawk Sunday afternoon against the New Haven County Cutters. He tossed 6 strong frames giving up 1 unearned run on 3 hits. However, he ran into trouble in the 7th inning. After giving up 1 run, Matt left the game with the bases loaded and nobody out and a 6-2 lead. The Skyhawks bullpen continued to struggle as they squandered their 4 run lead and went on to lose the game 8-6. Matt will make his next start Saturday night against the first place North Shore Spirit.
August 5, 2007
In his first start back from the disabled list, Jason threw 5.1 strong innings aginst the Marlins giving up 3 runs on 6 hits while walking 4 and tied his career high in strikeouts with 8. His efforts earned him a no-decision as the Rockies scored two runs in the 8th inning to go ahead 4-3. Jason's next start is scheduled for Tuesday against the Brewers at home in Denver.
Matt will make his next start today in the rubber match against the New Haven County Cutters. The game will begin at 1:05pm and you can catch all the action on the live feed from the Cutters website. Go to www.canamleague.com and click on the Cutters webcast link on the right side of the page.
August 1, 2007
It was a rough night for Matt and the Skyhawks as they fell victim to the Capitales de Quebec last night at Skylands Park in Augusta, New Jersey. Matt struggled with his command and lasted only 3.2 inning giving up 8 runs on 9 hits while walking 6 and striking out 2. The Skyhawks lost the game 13-5 and drop to 4-11 in the second half. Matt will make his next start Sunday against the New Haven Cutters.
Jason will be making his way back into the rotation for the Rockies Thursday night as he takes on the Florida Marlins. He will replace Rodrigo Lopez, who is currently on the disabled list with a torn flexor tendon in his right arm. It will be Jason's first start since July 2nd when he sprained his right ankle when Mets catcher Paul Lo Duca tried to pick him off from 3rd base. The Rockies are only 3 games behind in the NL West race and look to make up some ground during their road trip.
July 28, 2007
There is a new entry in Matt's journal. Click HERE to read it.
Jason made another rehab start last night for the Colorado Sky Sox. He threw 6.1 innings giving up only 4 hits and 0 runs while walking 3 and striking out 3. He will look to rejoin the team for their upcoming road trip to Florida and Atlanta.
Matt made his first start for the Skyhawks Thursday night against the Quebec Capitales. He went 4.2 innings giving up 4 runs on 4 hits while walking 4 and striking out 5. He suffered the loss as the Skyhawks dropped the game 7-3. He will make his next start Tuesday night, once again against Quebec. This time however, he will be at home in Sussex, where it is more of a pitcher's park. For more information about the Skyhawks visit www.sussexskyhawks.com and for more info on the Can-Am League visit www.canamleague.com.
July 22, 2007
A new journal entry is on it's way. It will cover what has happened in the last 3 weeks with Matt so be sure to check back soon.
Jason will make his final rehab start for the Sky Sox tomorrow night against the Fresno Grizzlies. He will be on a 75 pitch limit for the night and will meet back up with the Rockies at home as they take on the Padres and Dodgers.
Matt threw his first innings as a Skyhawk Friday night in front of a sellout crowd at Skylands Park. He went 2.1 innings giving up 3 runs on 4 hits while walking 3 and striking out 1. The Skyhawks lost the game to the Can-Am Grays (the Road Warriors of the Can-Am League) 7-5. Matt was a little rusty out on the mound as it was the first time he had thrown in a game since he got his first win against Bridgeport on July 8th. He is being moved into the starting rotation and will be making his first start for the Skyhawks in Quebec on Thursday night against the Capitales. The Skyhawks snapped a 5 game losing streak today improving to 2-5 in the second half with a win over the Grays. A 6-run first inning fueled the Skyhawks to a 10-3 win in the Sunday matinee. After a day off tomorrow, the Skyhawks will head up north to Quebec, Canada for a 3 game series against the Capitales.
July 20, 2007
Jason threw 1.2 innings on Thursday night for the Sky Sox against the Sacramento River Cats. He was either going 2 innings or 40 pitches and ended up being pulled after 1.2 innings with 39 pitches. He gave up 6 runs on 6 hits while striking out 3 and walking none. Click HERE to read more.
The Skyhawks dropped their last game of a 4 game series with the Nashua Pride last night 9-4. The Skyhawks are now 1-3 in the second half and 16-34 overall. Click HERE to visit the Can-Am League website for more infomation about the league.
July 18, 2007
Jason will be making two rehab starts for the Colorado Sky Sox, one today on a 40 pitch pitch count or 2 innings and again on Monday before he rejoins the team.
Not 48 hours after his release, Matt has found a new team. He signed with the Sussex Skyhawks of the Can-Am League. He will be in the bullpen for now with a chance to move into the starting rotation. The team's home field is located in Augusta, New Jersey. For more info on the Skyhawks visit www.sussexskyhawks.com.
July 17, 2007
Jason will be making a rehab start for the Colorado Sky Sox in the near future as he is still battling his sprained right ankle. He will rejoin the team after his rehab start to take his spot in the rotation.
A shocking turn of events happened for Matt yesterday as he was released from the York Revolution. He will be on his way home and will try to pick up with another team to finish the season.
July 8, 2007
There is a new article about the Hirsh brothers in the York Daily Record called Being the Brother. Click HERE to read it.
Matt earned his first victory today during a Sunday afternoon game at Sovereign Bank Stadium. The Revs rallied back from a 6 run deficit to over take the Bridgeport Bluefish 9-8. Matt entered the game in the 8th inning with the score tied at 6. He threw a scoreless inning, giving the Revs a chance to take the lead. With 2 out in the bottom of the 8th inning Jason Aspito hit a 3-run homerun to give the Revs a 9-6 lead. Entering the 9th inning, Matt walked the lead off batter followed by a base hit, which left runners at 1st and 2nd with 0 outs. The Bluefish then sacrifice bunted the runners into scoring position leaving men at 2nd and 3rd with 1 out. Two base hits later, the Bluefish were making a comeback, scoring two runs and making the score 9-8. With 1 out and runners on first and second, Matt induced a fly ball and ground out to end the game, giving the Revs their first sweep at home. With from last night and today, the Bluefish spoiled their first half playoff berth, giving it to the streaking Newark Bears. The Revs will look to continue their winning streak with a day/night double header tomorrow starting at 11:05am against the Road Warriors.
July 7, 2007
There is a new "Ask the New Guy" segment on the Atlantic League blog website. Click HERE to read it.
The final game of the Revs 4 game series against the Ducks was a thriller. Trailing 7-1 after 5 innings, the Revs turned things up offensively and looked to the long ball to help them out. Newly acquired left fielder Jason Aspito helped the Revs with 2 home runs as well as 2 from right fielder Justin Singleton. The Revs over came the 7-1 deficit to take a 8-7 lead going into the bottom of the 8th inning. Matt was called upon from the bullpen to hold the lead for the Revs. The first batter of the inning was Norm Hutchins, who reached base on a basehit. He then stole second base, leaving Matt in a tough situation: man on 2nd with nobody out. Matt preceeded to get Damien Rolls to ground out to him, followed by an Edwardo Alfonzo ground-out to 2nd. With 2 outs and a runner on 3rd base, Jose Offerman (4-4 on the night) stepped up to the plate and Matt fell behind quickly 2-0. He shook off a change-up to throw a fastball, which would turn out to be a mistake. Offerman took the shin-high fastball and put it over the right field fence for a 2-run go-ahead homerun. Duck's closer Danny Graves came in and nailed the save for the Ducks, giving the Revs the loss and a long bus ride back to York.
The Revs are currently hosting the Bridgeport Bluefish for a 3 game series and won the first game last night in a slugfest by a score of 10-7. They will take on the Road Warriors in a 3 game series, including a day/night double header on Monday starting at 11am. The Revs will be back in York until July 19th, when they make their final trip to Somerset for a 3 game series against the Patriots.
July 5, 2007
An freak accident on the basepaths landed Jason on the Disabled List as he sprained his ankle during Tuesday night's game against the Mets. In the 6th inning Mets catcher Paul Lo Duca tried to pick Jason off third base and when he went to step on the bag he twisted his ankle. Jason may only miss one start due to the upcoming All-Star break. Aaron Cook is scheduled to take Jason's next start and the Rockies brought up reliever Matt Herges to take Jason's spot on the roster. At the time, Jason was throwing his best game of the year as he went 6 innings giving up 3 hits and 0 runs. Even though he left the game early, the Rockies held on to win the game and gave Jason his 4th win of the season. Click HERE to read more about Jason's injury.
The Revolution took on the Long Island Ducks in a double-header Tuesday evening at Citibank Park in the town of Islip, Long Island. The Revs took the first game 6-2 and fell 7-1 in the second game. Matt threw in the second game of the double-header and went 3 innings giving up 1 run on 1 hit and walking 1 while striking out 3. The Revs also won last night on the 4th of July beating the Ducks 8-3. The series will wrap up tonight before the Revs head back to York to finish the first half of the season and take on the Bridgeport Bluefish and Road Warriors. The All-Star game will be held on July 11th in Lancaster and will feature 4 Revolution players including Nate Espy, Luis Tavaras, Chris Cooper, and Matt Dryer. The All-Star game is the signal of the end of the first half, giving playoff berths to the teams that win thier divisions. Right now, the Bridgeport Bluefish hold on to a 3 game lead over the Long Island Ducks in the North Division and the Camden Riversharks and the Camden Riversharks cling to a 1 game lead in the South Division over the Somerset Patriots. Click HERE to view the full first half standings.
July 2, 2007
There is a new entry in Matt's journal. Click HERE to read it.
Jason will make his next start for Colorado tonight against Tom Glavine and the Mets. Glavine is seeking his 298th win against the Rockies but Jason looks to end Colorado's recent 1-9 road trip with a sold performance at home tonight in Colorado. Click HERE for a preview of the game.
The Revolution continue to struggle as they went 1-5 on their recent 6 game road trip and have dropped the first two games to Newark at home, stretching their losing streak to 6. They are currently 14 games below the .500 mark with a record of 19-33. Matt threw a scoreless 9th inning last night as the Revs fell victim to the Bears 6-1. He gave up a lead-off double off the 38 foot wall in left field but then settled down and got two fly balls and a strikeout to end the inning. The Revolution finish their 3 game home stand tomorrow night before making their first trip to Long Island. There is a scheduled double header on Tuesday night, July 3rd, as part of a makeup game for earlier this season.
June 29, 2007
There is a new "Ask the New Guy" segment on the Atlantic League blog website. Click HERE to take a look. It's towards the bottom of the page.
June 27, 2007
Jason's pitching woes continued today against the Cubs as he yielded 5 runs on 5 hits in 6 innings today for the Rockies as they fell to the Cubs 6-4. Jason walked 4 and struck out 4 while giving up 2 home runs as well. He falls to 3-7 on the season as the Rockies continue their losing streak, which now stands at 6. Click HERE to read more on the game.
Matt is now back in the bullpen for the Revolution. He was put in the bullpen to work on some things and looks to be back in the roatation soon. The Revs are currently in Newark, New Jersey for a 3 game series and will head back to York Friday night.
June 23, 2007
It wasn't such a great night for the Hirsh brothers on the mound last night as both the Rockies and Revs lost. Jason went 4.1 innings for the second straight time, giving up 5 runs on 5 hits, walking 3 and striking out 2. He also surrendered 3 home runs in his no-decision. The Rockies wound up losing it in the 11th when they gave the ball to their closer, Brian Fuentes, with a 2 run lead. Fuentes blew the save and gave up 3 runs in the bottom of the 11th as the Rockies fell to the Blue Jays 9-8. It was Fuente's 3rd blown save of the season and his first loss.
Matt's control issues continued last night on the mound as he lasted only 2 innings against the Patriots. He gave up 5 runs (2 earned) on 3 hits while walking 4 and striking out 1. He was pulled in the 3rd inning because of his walks and lack of consistency throwing strikes. The Revs lost the game 9-3 and Matt took his league-leading 7th loss of the season. He is now 0-7 in 7 straight starts for the Revs and owns an 18.47 ERA against the Patriots and a 5.57 ERA against all other teams. The Revs take on the Patriots for the finale of the 3 game series and then head on the road for 6 games; 3 in Bridgeport and 3 in Newark.
June 20, 2007
For the first time in their professional careers, the Hirsh brothers will be starting on the same night. This Friday, June 22nd, Jason will face the Toronto Blue Jays and Josh Towers and Matt will be starting against the Somerset Patriots at home in Sovereign Bank Stadium. Matt's last start came on Father's Day against the Newark Bears and lasted 5 innings while giving up 4 runs on 5 hits and walking 3. He cruised through the first 3 innings, facing the minimal amount of batters (9) before running into trouble in the 4th and 5th innings. The Revs lost that game 5-3, which dropped Matt to 0-6 on the season. Jason threw against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and lasted only 4.1 innings giving up 5 runs on 6 hits.
June 15, 2007
There is a new entry in Matt's journal. Click HERE to read it.
Today is opening day for the York Revolution. The Revs will take on the Newark Bears in the first ever game at Sovereign Bank Stadium tonight at 7pm. Catch all the action online starting at 6pm EST.
June 14, 2007
A new "Ask The New Guy" question was answered by Matt on the Atlantic League Blog website. Click HERE to read it.
Jason will make his next start Saturday against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays at home in Colorado.
Matt had his roughest start of the season Tuesday night against the Somerset Patriots. Two rain delays totaling 1 hour and 6 minutes didn't help his cause as he lasted only 1.1 innings giving up 6 runs on 5 hits and walking 3; taking his 5th loss of the season. Still looking for his first win, Matt will take the mound for the first time at Sovereign Bank Stadium on Father's Day this Sunday afternoon at 2pm. The Revs will hold their inagural game this Friday night against the Newark Bears at 7:05pm. Tickets are sold out, but you can catch all the action on WSBA Radio 910am online.
June 11, 2007
There is a short article in the Rocky Mountain News about this website. Click HERE to read it.
Jason threw the best game of his career Sunday afternoon against the Orioles in Camden Yards. He tossed his first career complete game giving up only 1 run on 5 hits while walking 1 and striking out 2 to earn his 3rd win of the year. He retired the last 19 of 20 batters after picking off Brian Roberts in the third inning. With Sunday's win, the Rockies are now just one game below .500 (31-32) and look to jump above that mark against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Click HERE to read more on the game.
Matt will make his next start Tuesday night against the Somerset Patriots at Commerce Bank Park in Somerset, New Jersey. He looks to turn the Revs string of bad luck around as they have fallen to 12-20 on the season after they split a double-header Sunday afternoon against the Long Island Ducks.
June 9, 2007
In his last start against the Road Warriors in Camden, Matt tossed 6 innings giving up 3 runs on 5 hits while striking out a season-high 6 and walking just 2. He was soared through the first 5 innings, giving up just 2 hits and 1 walk, until ran into trouble with 2 outs in the 6th. A base hit, followed by a walk, led to two doubles, scoring 3 runs. The Road Warriors put the game out of reach for the Revs in the 8th inning when they scored 4 more runs off reliever Franklin Nunez. It was Nunez's first time back since being on the DL for almost a month. Matt falls to 0-4 on the season but lowered his ERA to 6.65.
Jason will make his next start against the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards tomorrow. He will oppose Ryan Bedard in an early afternoon game starting at 11:35am. Following their trip to Baltimore, the Rockies will head up to Fenway Park for a 3 game series against the Red Sox.
June 6, 2007
A qualtiy start by Jason last night at Coors Field still wasn't enough to help the Rockies beat the Astros. In what turned out to be his best start since May 15th, Jason went 6 innings allowing 2 runs on 5 hits, and walking 2 while striking out 4 against his former team. He retired the first 14 batters he faced and didn't give up a run until the 6th inning. The Rockies were just 1 for 15 with runners in scoring position and could only plate one run on 6 extra-base hits. Jason suffered his 6th loss of the season, falling to 2-6. During his 7 starts at Coors Field, the Rockies have only scored 12 runs for him. Click HERE to read more about the game.
Matt will make his next start tomorrow afternoon in Camden as the Revolution take on the Road Warriors at 1pm. The Revs will travel back to York for a day off on Friday before heading back to Camden on Saturday for a 3 game series against the Long Island Ducks, including a double-header on Sunday. It is also rumored that the Revs have signed 2 veteran starters to join the team this weekend.
June 3, 2007
Matt is doing a segment on the Atlantic League Baseball's news website called "Ask the New Guy." Click HERE to read it. It will be updated occasionally as questions are asked, so he will post updates when a new segment is posted.
The Revs snapped their 6 game losing streak today as they out slugged the Barnstormers 13-10. After trailing 12-5 in the 7th inning Lancaster scored 5 runs in the bottom of the 8th to make it a 2 run ballgame. York countered with another insurance run in the top of the 9th to make it 13-10. Jason Olson came in to close the game and threw a scoreless 9th. Both teams combined for 23 runs and 31 hits in the 3 hour 5 minute contest. The second series of the War of the Roses concludes tomorrow night at 7:05pm in Lancaster. York leads the series 3 games to 2. The Revs will have Tuesday and Wednesday off, before heading to Camden to play the Road Warriors Thursday, followed by another day off Friday, and a 3 game series, which includes a double-header against Long Island, back in Camden on Saturday and Sunday.
Jason will make his next start for the Rockies Tuesday night against his former team the Houston Astros at Coors Field. Jason is currently 2-5 with a 5.10 ERA for the Rockies this season and looks to bounce back from his rough start against St. Louis.
June 1, 2007
There is a new entry in Matt's journal. Click HERE to read it.
Jason and the Rockies were looking to extend their 7 game winning streak against the Cardinals Wednesday night at Coors Field. Unfortunately, Jason had his worst start of the year giving up 10 hits, 8 earned runs, and 2 walks while striking out 2 in just 4.2 innings as the Rockies lost 8-4. Jason, now 2-5, struggled in the 5th inning, giving up 5 runs including back-to-back homer runs to Albert Pujols and Jim Edmonds. It was the first time all season that he has given up more than 4 earned runs in any start. To read more about the game click HERE.
The Revolution looked to end their 3 game skid against the Camden Riversharks Thursday night at Campbell's Field. Matt (0-2) took the mound for his 3rd start of the season facing off against Kevin Walker (2-1). The game turned out to be a pitcher's duel as the Revs lost 3-1. Matt turned in his first quality start of the season going 6 strong innings giving up 3 runs on 7 hits, walking 3, and striking out 4. At one point, he retired 11 straight batters before he gave up a base hit to Craig Paquette in the 6th inning with two outs. Riversharks starter Kevin Walker went 8 innings giving up just 4 hits and 1 run, earning the win as Matt took his 3rd loss of the season. Click HERE to read more about last night's game. The Revs take on Riversharks tonight as they finish their 11 day road trip in Camden and head back to Lancaster to take on the Barnstormers in the second series of the War of the Roses.
May 27, 2007
The Revolution dropped their second straight game last night against the Camden Riversharks 6-2. Matt, in his second start of the season, went 4 innings giving up 3 runs on 3 hits, striking out 2, and walking 5. He cruised through the first 3 innings giving up only one hit, but ran into trouble with two outs in the 4th. He walked 3 and gave up 2 hits, which plated 3 Riversharks to give them a 3-1 lead. The Revs weren't able to overcome the deficit and only scored one more run. Today, the Revs took on the Road Warriors in Camden and won with an infield single by Matt Dryer to score Kazuo Tanaka in the bottom of the 9th inning. The hit came after Tanaka led the inning off with a base hit, followed by a past ball, which moved him to second. Travis Hake moved Tanaka to third with a sacrifice bunt. With a man on 3rd and only 1 out, Peter Bergeron drew a walk to make it 1st and 3rd with 1 out. Matt Dryer fell quickly behind 0-2 but battled back and hit one of the end of his bat for an infield single to give the Revs a 5-4 victory. They are in Camden for 5 more days before heading back to play Lancaster for another 3 game series of the War of the Roses.
May 26, 2007
Jason was recently on Player Talk Live talking about Coors Field and his off-season job with the Chargers. Click HERE and look under the Multimedia section to listen.
The Rockies defeated the Giants last night in front of a crowd of 41,274 fans. Jason got into trouble in the first inning giving up a leadoff single to Randy Winn. He followed up with consecutive walks to Rich Aurilia and Ryan Kelso, which left the bases loaded for Barry Bonds. Jason got Bonds to ground into a double play, scoring Randy Winn. With two outs Ray Durham doubled home Aurilia and then got Bengie Molina to pop up to the infield. However, the swirling wind proved to be too much for Todd Helton and Kazuo Matsui as it dropped in for a hit, plating Ray Durham. After his first inning woes, Jason settled down to his old self again, keeping the Giants scoreless until he came out. He went 6 innings giving up 5 hits, 3 runs, 2 walks, and struck out 3. Down 3 runs in the top of the 7th inning, the Rockies finally got to Giants starter Matt Cain as they scored 2 runs to come within 1. They tacked on another run in the top of the 8th and two more in the top of the 9th to give themselves a 2 run lead. Mr. Consistency, Brian Fuentes, came in to close the door and secure his 14th save of the season. Fuentes has converted 14 of 15 saves this year for the Rockies. Jason's next start will come Wednesday at home in Coors Field against the struggling St. Louis Cardinals.
The Revs dropped the second game of their three game series with the Riversharks last night 7-2. They now sit tied for second place with Camden in the Atlantic League South Division. They are both 2 games behind the Somerset Patriots. The Revs conclude their series with Camden today at 5:05pm as Matt takes the mound for his second start of the season. You can catch all the action live online starting at 4:05pm EST by clicking the link above.
May 23, 2007
Jason is scheduled to make his next start against the Giants and Matt Cain, for the second time. In his first meeting with Cain on April 17th, Jason tossed 7 innings giving up 3 runs and Cain threw 7 scoreless innings. He drew a no-decision in that game and will look to turn in another solid performance on the mound Friday night in San Francisco.
In the first meeting of the Long Island Ducks and the York Revolution, the Revs came out on top beating the Ducks 5-3 at their neutral "home" site at Campbell's Field in Camden, New Jersey. Starter Ryan Baerlocher went 6.2 innings giving up only 2 runs and earning his second win of the season. The Revs, currently on a 10 day road trip in Camden, will take on the Ducks once again tonight at 5:05pm. After tonight's game the Revs will take on the Camden Riversharks for a 3 game series, followed by a 3 game series against the Road Warriors, and concluding with another 3 game series against the Riversharks. Matt will make his second start of the season Saturday night against the Riversharks.
May 20, 2007
The Rockies dropped their 7th consecutive rubber match today at Coors Field as they fell to the Royals in 12 innings 10-5. Jason went 5 innings giving up 6 hits, 4 runs, and 1 walk while striking out 3. He ran into trouble in the 3rd inning when he gave up 4 runs, but settled back down and retired the last 6 of 7 batters. He was pulled in the 5th inning for a pinch hitter, thus taking him out of the game. He also got his first big league hit to right field. It came after 31 combined at-bats between Houston and Colorado. Click HERE to read more about the game.
Back on the east coast, York won the first series of the War of the Roses taking 2 of 3 from the Barnstormers. Matt threw 2 innings in the second game giving up 2 hits, including a 2-run homerun to former St. Louis Cardinal Bo Hart. He also walked 2 and struck out 1. He will be starting Saturday, May 26th, against the Camden Riversharks. The Revs take to the road for a 10 day road trip to Camden, New Jersey this Tuesday. They will face the Long Island Ducks for two games, then the Camden Riversharks for three, followed by a three game series with the Road Warriors, and finally ending with another three game set against the Riversharks. Their first official home game is scheduled for June 15th.
May 17, 2007
Jason had one of his best starts of the season against the Diamondbacks Tuesday night at Coors Field. He went a career-high 8 innings giving up 7 hits and 3 runs while striking out 4. His efforts were second best as Randy Johnson tossed 6 innings of 1 hit baseball while striking out 9. The Rockies were blanked by the Diamondbacks 3-0. Another positive for Jason was that he surrendered no walks, which has been one of his downfalls. With the loss he falls to 2-4 on the season with a 3.99 ERA.
The War of the Roses is set to begin tomorrow night as the York Revolution take on the Lancaster Barnstormers. The Barnstormers, coming off their championship season last year, are 4-6 and currently sit in last place in the South Division while the Revs are 5-6 and sit in 3rd place in the South Division. The Barnstormers have lost their last 4 games and look to bounce back against the Revolution. The Revs look to extend their winning streak as they swept the Road Warriors in a 2 game series at their neutral home site in Camden, New Jersey. The first pitch is scheduled for tomorrow night at 7:05pm EST. You can catch all the action from the online feed from WSBA NewsRadio 910. The link is just above this paragraph under the stats links.
May 14, 2007
In his first professional start in two years, Matt went 3+ innings against the Somerset Patriots giving up 7 hits, 5 runs, and 4 walks while striking out 1. He took the loss as the Revs lost 7-3. He cruised through his first two innings but ran into trouble in the 3rd inning when he gave up a base hit and a walk followed by a 3-run homerun by former New York Yankee Jeff Nettles. Matt was pulled in the 4th inning after giving up a homerun and leaving two men on base with nobody out. Reliever Charlie Hessletine came in and gave up one of Matt's runs and then got out of the inning. The Revs are back in Camden this week for 2 home games against the Road Warriors and return to York on Thurday for a day off and then have a 3 game series with their cross-river rivals the Lancaster Barnstormers.
Jason will make his next start tomorrow night at home against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The game is set for a 6:35pm MTN time start.
May 10, 2007
Jason and the Rockies fell victim to the Cardinals yesterday at Busch Stadium 9-2. Jason, who struggled with his command, allowed 5 hits, 3 runs, and a season-high 6 walks while striking out 5. In 4+ innings of work, he threw 106 pitches, 58 for strikes. Manager Clint Hurdle pulled Jason after he walked the leadoff batter in the 5th inning. The loss puts him at 2-3 on the season with a 4.10 ERA. In his last three starts he is 0-2 with a 5.63 ERA. Click HERE to read more about the game.
The Revolution snagged their first victory of the season last night against the Camden Riversharks. A 7-run 7th inning secured the victory for the Revs as they routed the Riversharks 17-6. The Revs pounded out 18 hits, led by a 5 for 5 night by Tike Redman and a 4 for 4 night by Nate Espy. Starting pitcher Wayne Franklin earned the first ever victory for the Revs going 5 innings giving up 5 runs. Click HERE for more on the game. Twelve hours later the Revs took on the Riversharks in a 11:05am game as Campbell's Field was host to Kids Day. Down 2-1 in the top of the 9th, the Revs exploded for 5 runs to spoil the victory for the Riversharks. Pitcher Ryan Baerlocher earned the victory tossing 8 strong innings giving up only 2 runs on 4 hits. Franklin Nunez came in to close the door in the 9th and secure the Revs second victory of the sesason. The Revolution are now 2-4 as they head to Somerset, New Jersey to take on the Somerset Patriots in a three game series. Matt is set to start the second game of that series on Saturday night.
May 9, 2007
There is also a short video clip about players and their equipment bags featured on the local TV station in York. Click HERE to watch it.
Jason will make his next start today against the struggling St. Louis Cardinals. He will be opposed by Adam Wainwright in a game scheduled for an 11:10am MT start. Click HERE for a quick preview of the game.
The Revolution struggled defensively last night as they dropped their fourth straight game to the Camden Riversharks last night at Campbell's Field. 4 errors didn't help their case as they lost 4-2. They take on the Riversharks again tonight at 7:05pm and at 11:05am Thursday morning before heading out to Somerset, New Jersey for a three game series. Matt will make his first start of the season Saturday, May 12th, against the Patriots. Matt's only outing of spring training came against the Patriots and he went 2 innings and gave up 1 run while striking out 3. For those Revolution fans out there who are interested in listening to the games online, you can click HERE to get a live stream of the games. All games are broadcast in EST time.
May 6, 2007
Jason and the Rockies defeated the Reds 6-5 in extra innings last night at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati. He threw 6 innings allowing 5 hits, 4 runs, 5 walks while striking out 5. Troy Tulowitzki knocked in Willy Tavaras with a base hit to go ahead and closer Brian Fuentes came in to get his 6th save of the season. Click HERE for a recap of the game.
A 12-run 6th inning pushed the Bluefish past the Revolution in last nights the season opener in Bridgeport. The Bluefish pounded out 17 hits and scored 15 runs. Not far behind, the Revs scored 8 runs on 13 hits in their first game ever. Starter Wayne Franklin threw 4.1 innings giving up 3 runs. Matt came in to help Franklin escape a 1-out man on first and second jam. He got a broken bat pop-up and a strikeout to end the inning. The Revs ran into trouble in the 6th inning though giving up 12 runs while going through 3 different pitchers in the inning. They look for their first win of the season tomorrow night as they face the Bluefish once again in a 6:05pm start. Starting for the Revs will be Ryan Baerlocher.
May 5, 2007
Jason is set to make his next start tomorrow night in Cincinnati against Reds. He has faced the Reds only once before and didn't fare so well against them. Click HERE for a preview of the game.
As the Revolution set out to begin their inagural season in Bridgeport, Connecticut, they held their final pre-season workout at York College Thursday afternoon in front of the media. WHP-CBS 21 did a special report on Matt and hirshbrothers.com. Click HERE for a link to the article, which you can read or watch online.
May 2, 2007
There is a new article out in the York Daily Record about a day in the life of a baseball player. Click HERE to read it.
Matt and the Revolution are back in York and will have a workout tomorrow afternoon at York College, followed by a meet-and-greet with the fans at a local restaurant. After their dinner they will head out to Bridgeport, Connecticut to open their season with a three game series against the Bluefish. To view the Revs full schedule click HERE.
February 23, 2007
There is a new article about Jason featured in the Denver Post. Click HERE to read it.
Spring training for the Rockies is now in full effect as the position players reported to camp yesterday, February 22nd. The full schedule of spring training games as well as the complete schedule for the Colorado Rockies can be viewed by clicking HERE.
The days are drawing close for Matt as he takes off for spring training March 5th. He is looking forward to his first full spring training and looks to make a good impression on the St. Louis Cardinals organization. A full schedule of Matt's season will be posted when he finds out where he will be playing this coming year.
February 13, 2007
There is a new article about Jason featured in the Rocky Mountain News. Click HERE to read it.
Jason left for Tucson, Arizona Sunday morning to get settled in to his new apartment and ready to start spring training. Pitchers and catchers report this Thursday, February 15th, to open up camp for the Rockies.
In other news, Monday's New York Times (February 12th) has a feature article on Jaeger Sports and the yoga and long toss camp in the sports section. Be sure to get a copy and check it out or click HERE to read it!
February 2, 2007
New pics from Edison Elementary are up! Click HERE to see them.
The Hirsh brothers traveled down the street to Edison Elementary School (their old Elementary School) yesterday to speak to a class of 5th graders about their careers in professional baseball. The request came from Matt's former 5th grade teacher Mrs. Susan Stone. Jason and Matt talked about what it is like playing professional and all the hard work that is put in as well. Before departing the class they answered questions and signed autographs for the kids and also took a picture with the whole class. Click HERE to see pictures.
January 26, 2007
Jason traveled to Dever, Colorado last week to have his physical and other tests done as part of the December trade with the Astros. He reports to spring training February 15th in Tucson, Arizona. Jason was also named to the Fab 50 on MLN Sports Zone. He is ranked number 10 out of 50. Click HERE to read the article.
The article about Matt is out in the newest issue of Baseball America. Members can view it at Baseball America under the Organizational Report for the St. Louis Cardinals or you can get the actual hard copy at newstands. It is possible Matt will type the article and put it up on the website.
January 2, 2007
A new article will be coming out soon in the next Baseball America featuring Matt. It will be in the Organizational Report for the St. Louis Cardinals.
December 16, 2006
A new article and interview about Jason being traded to the Rockies have been posted. Click HERE to take a look.
December 12, 2006
A shocking turn of events for Jason today as he was traded to the Colorado Rockies. The trade sent Jason along with center fielder Willy Tavaras and starting pitcher Taylor Buchholz to the Rockies in exhange for pitchers Jason Jennings and Miguel Asencio. Click HERE to read the full story.
November 17, 2006
An article written about Matt while he played at the MLB Urban Youth Academy has been posted. Click HERE to read.
The off-season is in full swing as the Hirsh brothers are now in their off-season programs. Matt has one more game for the Cardinals scout team Saturday, November 18th, in Compton. A professional umpires workshop will be taking place during the game as the Cardinals take on the Academy. Matt will be the starting pitcher as the game is scheduled for an 11am start.
Jason is currently in his off-season training program of lifting weights and doing cardio. He plans to be a major force in the Astros starting rotation next year, which currently features Roy Oswalt. Andy Pettitte and Roger Clemens are currently free agents and have not made a decision on whether they will be returning for another season with the Astros, or any team for that matter.
October 12, 2006
A new article about Matt has been featured on the St. Louis Cardinals' scout website. Matt was interviewed by Brian Walton, a writer for the website. It is an in-depth article about Matt's struggles this past summer and his outlook on his future career. Click HERE to read the article.
October 2, 2006
A new article about Jason has been posted. Click HERE to read it.
The season is officially over and the Astros' run to returning to the World Series has come to a close as they finished 1.5 games behind the Cardinals in the NL Central Division. The Astros sealed their fate with a loss Sunday afternoon against the Atlanta Braves. The Cardinals also lost to the Brewers but that game did not matter since the Astros had already lost. The Astros finished the season 82-80; a great year considering they were under .500 with 2 weeks left in the season. The late-season comeback is something positive to build on for the 2007 season. Click HERE to read more. Jason finished his big league season 3-4 with a 6.04 ERA in 8 starts. Next year the Astros look to have a young pitching staff led by veteran Roy Oswalt that includes Taylor Buchholz, Matt Albers, and Jason.
Matt signing his contract with Chuck Fick.
Scout ball continues to go well for Matt as he threw again yesterday afternoon at Amgen Field in Thousand Oaks. He faced 6 batters and struck out 4 giving up 0 hits, 0 walks, and 0 runs. He will throw again next Sunday afternoon at West Hills Pony Little League fields.
September 28, 2006
The Astros extended their winning streak to 8 last night with a 15 inning win over the Pirates. Jason threw 3 innings giving up 6 hits and 3 runs while striking out 1 and walking 1. A total of 9 Houston pitchers were used as Chris Sampson picked up the win and Trevor Miller recorded his first save of the season. With 5 games remaining the Astros are still 1.5 games behind the Cardinals. It is unknown if Jason will make another start before the season ends. Updates to follow.
September 26, 2006
Jason and the Astros continue on their march for the playoffs as they swept the Cardinals in their final homestand of the season. Jason threw Friday night against the Cards and went 4.2 innings surrendering 5 hits and 2 runs while striking out 2 and walking 2. His efforts earned him a no-decision as the Astros came from behind in the bottom of the 9th inning and won with a walk-off hit from Craig Biggio. The Astros remain only 2.5 games behind the Cardinals in the NL Central with 6 games to play. Jason will make his next start tomorrow night against the Pirates at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, PA. It is familiar territory for him as he pitched there for the Futures Game this past July for Team USA.
Matt made his first appearance for the Cardinals scout team this past Sunday at Amgen Field in Thousand Oaks, CA. He threw one inning against the Braves scout team and faced 7 batters. Of the 7 batters he struck out 4. Pitchers for each team were alloted 6 batters per inning. The team played two 7 inning games with a different squad for each. Matt will throw again next Sunday afternoon at Amgen Field.
September 21, 2006
There is a new entry in Matt's journal. Click HERE to read it.
With only 10 games remaining in the season, the Astros remain 5 games out behind the Dodgers and Phillies in the Wild Card race and 6.5 back of the Cardinals in the NL Central. Jason looks to give the Astros another win as he gets the start against the Cardinals tomorrow night at Minute Maid Park. Jason is currently 3-4 with a 5.59 ERA in his 7 starts with the Astros.
September 17, 2006
Jason had another great start against the Phillies, however, it wasn't enough to earn another victory. Phillies rookie Cole Hamels took a no-hitter into the 7th inning before giving up his first hit. Jason had himself a brief no-hit bid for the first 4 innings of the game as well. He gave up 2 runs on 4 hits, walking 2 and striking out 5. He suffered his 4th loss of the season as the Astros lost to the Phillies 7-2. Click HERE to read the game notes. Hopes for another World Series run are growing dim as the Astros are now 6.5 games back in the Wild Card race. They hope to turn things around in their upcoming series with the Reds.
September 13, 2006
Jason earned his 3rd victory Saturday night with a win over the Milwaukee Brewers. He tossed 6+ innings surrendering 4 hits, 2 runs, 3 walks, and striking out 4. Jason ran into trouble in the 7th inning and walked the first two batters before being replaced by Russ Springer, who escaped the jam unscathed. The Astros went on to win the game by a score of 10-4. The Astros are currently 4 games behind the San Diego Padres in the Wild Card race with 16 games remaining. They turn to Roger Clemens to lead the charge against the visiting Phillies for their final 10 game homestand. Jason will most likely start Saturday against the Phillies.
Scout ball has started for the Cardinals scout team. Games will take place at Pepperdine Univeristy, UC Santa Barbara, Conejo Valley Park (Amgen Field), and the Urban Youth Baseball Academy. More infomation about when Matt will pitch will be posted soon.
September 9, 2006
Jason will be making a start in place of the injured Roger Clemens. He will face the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park, the site of his first major league win. More information can be read HERE.
September 6, 2006
In his last start, Jason threw very well going 6 strong innings against the New York Mets giving up 5 hits, 3 runs (1 earned), and 1 walk while striking out 4. Unfortunately, the Astros bats didn't co-operate and were held to just 2 runs on 3 hits as the Astros lost 4-2. Jason suffered his 3rd loss of the season, dropping to 2-3. He will make his next start against the Brewers in Milwaukee either on Saturday or Sunday. More about Saturday's game can be read HERE.
Matt will start up fall ball with the Cardinals scout team on September 10th. In the mean time he has been doing clinics with Alan Jaeger and Jim Vatcher of Jaeger Sports, demonstrating the long toss portion of the program. He recently did clinics at Chaffey College and Mt. San Antonio College. For more information about long tossing and arm care visit the Jaeger Sports website at www.jaegersports.com
August 31, 2006
Today Jason was named the Pacific Coast League's Pitcher of the Year by Minor League Baseball.com. Other pitchers considered for the honor were Iowa Cubs (Chicago Cubs) pitcher Rich Hill, Salt Lake Bees (LA Angels) pitcher Jared Weaver, and fellow Round Rock (Houston Astros) teammate Chris Sampson. Jason went 13-2 this year in the PCL with a 2.10 ERA. He is currently still tied for most wins with 13 and still leads the league in ERA with a 2.10. Click HERE to read more.
It is now unknown when Jason will make his next start. It could be possible for him to start against either the Mets or the Phillies. More info will be posted.
August 29, 2006
Jason will make his next start for the Astros on Friday, September 1st against the National League East Division leading New York Mets. The Astros are currently sit 7 games behind the St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Central. There are currently 10 teams within 5 games of the NL Wild Card and Astros are only 3.5 games behind Cincinnati and look to improve against Milwaukee and New York.
While Jason and the Astros take on the Milwaukee Brewers, Matt celebrated his 22nd birthday today. He received an early birthday present when he signed with the Cardinals last week and looks forward to the coming year and getting back to playing pro ball again.
August 27, 2006
Jason picked up his 2nd win today routing the Pirates by a score of 13-1. He threw 7 strong innings giving up only 1 run on 5 hits, walking 2, and striking out 2 as well. Willy Taveras extended his hit-streak to 30 games with an infield single in the first inning. Click HERE to read more about the game.
August 26, 2006
Jason had his roughest outing of the season as he went only 2.2 innings against the Cincinnati Reds giving up 9 hits, 10 runs, 5 walks, 2 homeruns, and striking out 2 as the Astros were shutout 14-0. He will face the Pittsburgh Pirates tomorrow in familiar territory at PNC Park, where he threw in the 2006 XM Satellite Radio All-Star Futures Game in July. The Astros round up their 12 game road trip tomorrow and head back to Houston where they'll host the Milwaukee Brewers and New Yorks Mets. Click HERE to read about tomorrow's matchup.
It is now official. Matt signed his contract and now an official St. Louis Cardinal. He signed his contract Thursday night with West-Coast Cross Checker Chuck Fick. He will be throwing with the Cardinals area scout team this fall, starting September 10th.
August 22, 2006
There is a new entry in Matt's journal. Click HERE to read it.
It is now official that Matt will be signing with the St. Louis Cardinals. He received a phone call from Chuck Fick last night welcoming him to the organization. Details of what will happen with Matt are still to be determined but will be posted as soon as he finds out.
Jason will also be making his 3rd Major League start tonight against the Wild-Card leading Cincinnati Reds. The Astros need a win to stay in the race for the Wild-Card. A loss tonight could possibly spell the end for the Astros return to the World Series this year. Click HERE to read more about tonight's matchup.
August 21, 2006
All Matt's hard work has paid off as it is likely he will sign with the St. Louis Cardinals. Chuck Fick (Cross-Checker for the Cardinals) was impressed with Matt at the workout this past Saturday and wants to sign him. More infomation will come as soon as Matt is notified.
In Matt's most recent outing on Sunday, he threw 3 perfect innings against the Captiols while striking out 7.
August 19, 2006
There is a new entry in Matt's journal. Click HERE to read it.
Jason came back with a vengence in his second start against the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday night. After giving up a leadoff homerun to Corey Hart and hitting Prince Fielder and walking Gabe Hall, Jason settled down and retired 8 straight batters. He got into trouble in the 6th inning and left the game with the bases loaded and 1 out. Chad Qualls came in to finish the job. He got a double-play to end the inning and the threat. However, he did walk his first batter faced to allow one run, but escaped the jam with the double-play. With that Jason earned his first Major League victory after getting 7 runs of support. The Astros won 7-3. Jason threw 5.1 innings surrendering just 3 hits, 3 runs, walking 4, and striking out 5. His next start comes against the Cincinnati Reds on the road in Cincinnati on Tuesday, August 22nd. Click HERE to read the official News story about Jason's first win.
Matt threw at a Cardinals scout team tryout today in West Hills, CA in front scouts from 8 different teams. Click HERE to read more about his performance. He will also be pitching for the Terror tomorrow morning at 10am at Occidental College against the visiting Captiols. In less than 2 weeks, if Matt does not sign, he will be traveling to British Columbia, Canada with the Terror to play in an invitational tournament. The trip will be Labor Day weekend from August 30th to September 5th. More news to come.
August 17, 2006
A new article from the Thousand Oaks Acorn has been posted. Click HERE to read it.
Jason will make his 2nd major league start tonight against the Milwaukee Brewers in Milwaukee, WI. Coming off a bit of a rough debut, Jason looks to turn things around for the Astros and get them back in playoff contention. Houston is currently 4.5 games behind the Cincinnati Reds in the Wild Card race and look to gain ground tonight against the Brewers.
More good news for Matt as he found out today that he will be going to a St. Louis Cardinals workout this Saturday. He will throw a bullpen for the Cardinals Scouting Director and National Cross-Checker. He will also be throwing Sunday for the Terror as they take on the Capitols in a double-header at Occidental College starting at 10am.
August 14, 2006
A new video of Jason pitching has been posted. Click HERE and scroll to the bottom to view it.
Another article of Jason has been posted as well. Click HERE to read it.
New pictures of Jason have been added. Click HERE to look at them.
There is also a new entry in Matt's journal. Click HERE to read it.
Jason made his Major League debut this past Saturday, August 12th against the San Diego Padres. He threw 3 scoreless innings before giving up 4 runs in the 4th inning. With the bases loaded and 1 out in the top of the 3rd inning, Jason got catcher Mike Piazza to line out to third baseman Morgan Ensberg and then struck out Adrian Gonzales to escape trouble. It wasn't until the 4th inning that Jason gave up a few Major League firsts. With the first pitch of the 4th inning Todd Walker gave Jason a warm welcome to the big leagues by hitting an upper deck homerun to right field. Soon after Jason also gave up homeruns to Josh Barfield and Mike Cameron. Though he gave up 3 homeruns in the 4th inning, there were many postives taken from the game. Jason also struck out 4 batter and escaped a bases loaded jam in the 3rd inning. Says Jason about his performance, "I felt good on the mound. I felt like I threw my pitches well. I made a few mistakes, left some balls up. I looked at some videos and they were definitely not where I wanted them." More about Jason and his upcoming starts can be viewed HERE.
Meanwhile back in the land of free agency, Matt threw this past Sunday for the Terror. After an early flight from Houston back to Los Angeles, Matt pitched in the second game of a double-header for the Terror. Opposing the East Los Angeles Dodgers, Matt threw 4 strong innings giving up 2 hits, 1 walk, and striking out 5. The Terror jumped on top early and never looked back, blanking the Dodgers 9-0. Matt will throw for a Cardinals scout this Friday night in West Hills and again on Sunday for the Terror. Also, he will be traveling to Canada with the Terror to play in a tournament from August 30th to September 5th.
August 10, 2006
2 new articles about Jason have been posted. Click HERE to read them.
Matt had another solid outing last night for the MLB Urban Youth Academy last night at Compton College. He threw 3 innings against the Houston Astros scout team giving up 1 hit, 1 walk, and striking out 4.
August 9, 2006
There is a new entry in Jason's Player Journal on MiLB.com. Click HERE to read it.
There is a new entry in Matt's journal. Click HERE to take a look.
There is also a new article about Jason being called up. Click HERE to check it out.
Exciting news has found its way to the Hirsh brothers in the past few days. Jason received the phone call last night that he will be heading up to the Major League and will make his debut against the San Diego Padres on Saturday, August 12th. He was notified after throwing 2 perfect innings, including 2 Ks, against the Salt Lake Bees last night. The Hirsh family and many friends will be flying out to Houston to watch Jason make his Major League debut on Saturday.
Exciting news for Matt as well as he was told that the St. Louis Cardinals were interested in seeing him throw. He will throw for them next Friday, August 18th in West Hills, CA. Details will follow. Matt will also be throwing for the MLB Urban Youth Academy tonight against the Houston Astros scout team at Compton College. Paul Ricciarini, Scouting Director for the Houston Astros, and an Oakland Athletics scout will be in attendence to watch him pitch. Matt will be traveling to Houston to watch Jason pitch against the Padres and will return early Sunday morning so he can throw for the Terror. He will be pitching in the second game of a double-header at Occidental College, starting at 10am.
August 3, 2006
An article from June 27th by the Austin 8 News has been posted. Click HERE to take a look.
Jason extended his Round Rock record by winning his 12th straight decision in a 6-3 victory over the visiting Sacramento Rivercats on Tuesday. He is now 13-2 and has set three Express marks since he suffered his last loss on April 27 to Omaha. He pitched 35 1/3 consecutive scoreless innings to shatter Kirk Saarloos' previous record of 27 and went 47 frames without yielding an earned run. Sacramento went hitless against Jason for the first 5 innings of the game. Jason retired 13 straight batters before giving up a solo home run to break the no-hitter. He threw 7 innings giving up 3 hits, 3 runs, 2 walks, and striking out 5. His next start is scheduled for Tuesday, August 8th, against the Salt Lake Bees (LA Angels).
Good news has traveled Matt's way as he was invited to an invite-only tryout camp for the San Diego Padres. The came will take place September 16-17 and will be held in Peoria, Arizona. Also, Matt received a phone call today and was informed that the Oakland Athletics were interested in him and want to see him throw. Details and updates will be posted as soon as he is notified. Matt will be throwing the first game of a double header this Sunday at Occidental College for the Terror starting at 10am.
July 29, 2006
The streak came to a close Thursday night for Jason as he finally gave up an earned run. Taking his 41 inning streak into Thursday's game, Jason threw 5 more scoreless innings before giving up his first earned run in 7 starts; making the record 47 consecutive innings without giving up an earned run. However, his consecutive win streak remains in tact. Jason is now 11-0 in his last 11 decisions. Thursday night against the visiting Fresno Grizzlies, Jason earned his league-leading 12th win of the season. He threw 7 innings giving up 5 hits, 1 run, and struck out 5. Jason is currently 2nd in the PCL in ERA behind Rich Hill of the Cubs in with a 2.03 ERA. His next start is slated for August 1st against the visiting Sacramento Rivercats (Oakland Athletics).
The Tinseltown Terror took on the Union Stars last night at Downey High School. Matt got the start and threw 4 strong innings giving up 4 hits, 1 run, 3 walks, and struck out 5. After breezing through the first 2 innings he ran into trouble in the 3rd with 2 outs. He gave up a hit and then walked the next three batters to give the Stars a 1-0 lead. The Terror responded with a run of their own in the top of the 4th to tie the score 1-1. Matt got himself out of another tough situation in the 4th inning. With runners on 2nd and 3rd with 1 out, Matt got the next two batters out to end the threat. The Terror couldn't hold off the Stars as they lost the game 5-2. Matt is scheduled to pitch again next Sunday, August 6th at Occidental College as part of a double header against the San Bernardino Giants.
July 26, 2006
Matt brought his A game last night as he threw for the MLB Urban Youth Academy. They played the local scout team for the Chicago White Sox in a 9 inning contest in which the White Sox won 5-4. Matt threw 2 innings and shut down the Sox striking out 4 and giving up a broken bat single. His performance impressed the head director of the Urban Youth Academy, Doug Takaragawa, who said he would do his best to get Matt signed and playing again. The Academy will be shut down until August 14th as it hosts the 2006 RBI World Series. Matt will be back in action this weekend for the Terror. Details to come.
July 24, 2006
There is a new entry in Matt's journal. Click HERE to take a look.
Throwing the first game of a double header on Saturday against the Omaha Royals in Omaha, Nebreaska, Jason earned his league-leading 11th win and lowered his ERA to 2.08; second in the PCL. With Saturday's 6 scoreless innings, Jason has extended his streak to 41 consecutive innings without giving up an earned run. Through 6 innings, Jason surrendered only 2 hits while walking 3 and striking out 4. The Express won both games of the double header and are now enjoying a 13 game lead in the American South division. The Express are currently tied for most wins in the Pacific Coast League with the Tuscon Sidewinders with 64 wins. Jason makes his next start Thusday, July 27th, against the Fresno Grizzlies at home in Round Rock, Texas. Jason also claimed this week's top spot in the Baseball America Prospect Hot Sheet. Click HERE for details.
More good news came Matt's way as he was invited to throw for the MLB Youth Baseball Academy tomorrow night at Compton College against a local scout team. Former Pirates scout and Phillies Pacific Rim supervisor Doug Takaragawa saw Matt throw at the Youth Academy on Saturday, July 22, while doing a long toss clinic with Alan Jaeger of Jaeger Sports. He invited Matt to throw for the Academy team after learning of his recent release from the Astros.
July 21, 2006
Due to certain circumstances, Matt will not be pitching this weekend as all 3 of the Terror's games have been cancelled. Matt has this weekend off and will be back in action next weekend to take the mound once again.
July 18, 2006
Entering last night's start Jason had not given up an earned run in 30 innings of work. The streak continues and is now up to 35 innings without giving up an earned run; a new franchise record. In a no-decision effort, Jason threw 5 scoreless innings surrendering 3 hits and 1 walk while striking out 3. With that he has lowered his ERA to a season low 2.18; 4th best in the Pacific Coast League. Jason will make his next start Saturday, July 22nd, against the Omaha Royals in Omaha, Nebraska.
July 16, 2006
New pictures of Jason and Matt have been posted. Click HERE to take a look.
After a 3 week absence, Matt took the mound for his first start with the Terror Sunday, July 16th, against the La Verne Lookouts. Matt came out firing as he retired the first 11 of 12 batters of the game. Fatigue set in however during the 6th inning, as he gave up 2 runs on 4 hits. Through 6 innings of work Matt gave up 6 hits, 2 runs, and 0 walks while striking out 6. He earned the no-decision as the Lookouts came back in the bottom of the 9th inning to score 2 runs to win the ballgame. Matt will start again next Sunday, July 23rd, when the Terror take on the San Bernardino Giants in a double header starting at 10am at Occidental College in Eagle Rock, CA.
Jason will make his first start of the second half tomorrow, July 17th, taking on the Memphis Redbirds in Memphis, Tennessee. Jason and the Express are currently in 1st place in the American South Division of the Pacific Coast League and are sitting on a 12.5 game lead over the New Orleans Zephyrs.
July 14, 2006
A new article about the Hirsh brothers was published today in the Austin-American Statesman newspaper. Click HERE to check it out.
Jason was named to the Triple-A Minor League Midseason All-Star team by Baseball America this past Thursday, July 13th. Click HERE for more information.
Matt will be back in action this weekend after taking last weekend off to watch Jason pitch in the Futures Game. He is throwing the first game of a double header against the La Verne Lookouts at the University of La Verne Sunday morning, July 16th, at 10am.
Some bad news for Matt as his games on Monday have been cancelled due to lack of people not being able to get holiday leave for July 3rd. He will not start this weekend and will be absent next weekend (July 8th) as he will be flying out to Pittsburgh to watch Jason throw in the Futures Game. News about his next start will be posted when he is notified.
July 11, 2006
There are new pictures from the Futures Games posted. Click HERE to take a look.
There is also a new article posted about Jason in the Futures Game. Click HERE take a look.
It was quite a weekend for the Hirsh family in Pittsburgh, PA. The Futures Game took place on Sunday, July 9th, in which Team USA beat Team World by a score of 8-5. Jason got the start and threw the first inning, giving up 1 hit and striking out 1. He will now pitch in the Triple-A All-Star Game in Toledo today and will be throwing the 5th inning of the game. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2 starting at 7pm EST / 4pm PST.
July 5, 2006
Jason has a new entry in his Player Journal. Click here to take a look.
Listen to Jason talk about the Futures Game and Triple-A All-Star Game. Click HERE to go to the articles page and check it out.
Continuing his remarkable winning streak, Jason earned his 10th win (tied for league-lead with 2 others) of the season tonight as the Express shutout the Albuquerque Isotopes by a score of 4-0 tonight at The Dell Diamond. With a limited pitch count, Jason tossed 6 flawless innings giving up only 1 hit and 1 walk while striking out 7. Tonight was Jason's last start of the first half before heading off to participate in the Futures Game and Triple-A All-Star Game next week. You can catch the Futures Game on ESPN2 on Sunday, July 9th at 4pm EST / 1pm PST.
July 1, 2006
There is a new entry in Matt's journal. Click here to take a look.
The winning streak continues for Jason as he earned his 9th victory of the season last night against the Nashville Sound in Nashville, TN. He threw 6 shutout innings giving up 4 hits and 2 walks while striking out 8. His ERA sits at a season low 2.42. In the Pacific Coast League (PCL), Jason is currently 2nd in innings pitched with 104.1, 5th in ERA with a 2.42, and is tied for the league lead in wins with 9, along with his fellow teammmate Chris Sampson. Jason will make one more start for the Express on July 5th before heading off to the 2006 XM Satellite-Radio All-Star Futures Game being held July 9th at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, PA. Also, Jason and fellow teammate Chris Baker have been named to the Triple-A All-Star Game to be held July 12th at Fifth Third Field, home of the Toledo Mudhens, in Toledo, Ohio.
June 24, 2006
A career-high 12 strikeout night highlighted Round Rock's victory over the Nashville Sound Saturday night at The Dell Diamond. Jason held the Sound to only 3 hits, 1 unearned run, 4 walks, and 12 strikeouts over 8 innings of work. For his efforts he earned a no decision as Mike Gallo earned the win throwing the final inning of the game. The Express won tonight in walk-off fashion; literally. Cody Ransom drew a bases loaded walk to score Luke Scott for the winning run in the bottom of the 11th inning. The Express finish up their 5 game set against the Sound tomorrow before heading on the road for 8 days to face the Oklahoma RedHawks and the Nashville Sound again.
Some more exciting news for Jason as he was selected to represent Team USA in the 2006 XM Satellite-Radio All-Star Futures Game to be played July 9th at PNC Park in Pittsburg, PA. Voting for the Triple-A All-Star game has also ended and results will be posted soon.
Good news seems to be contagious. Matt is now playing for the Tinseltown Terror, a nationally ranked semi-professional baseball club. The Terror played in the Fourth Annual Best in the West Invitational Tournament held June 22nd-25th at UCLA. Facing a 5 run deficit in the top of the 8th inning with 2 outs, the Terror scored 7 runs to come back and defeat the Surf City Hammerheads 7-5. Matt threw the final 3 innings of the game and earned the win. Over 3 innings he gave up 5 hits, 1 walk, and 0 runs while striking out 1. The Terror are scheduled to play next Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. Their home games are held at Occidental College in Eagle Rock, CA. For more information about the Terror visit their website: http://www.splb.com/terror.htm.
June 19, 2006
Jason notched the 8th win of the season under his belt last night with a complete game shutout in the second game of a double-header against the New Orleans Zephyrs. He gave up 4 hits in 7 innings of work while walking 1 and striking out 7. Jason led the Express to a 3-0 victory and extended their win streak to 6 games. The Express also won the first game by a score of 9-5. They wrap up their 5 games series with the Zephyrs tonight before beginning a 5 game series with the Nashville Sound. Jason will throw again June 24th against the Nashville Sound.
June 14, 2006
Jason has a new entry in his Player Journal. Click here to take a look.
The Express showed no mercy in crushing the Isotopes last night by a score of 12-4. Jason earned the win going 7 innings while giving up 7 hits, 4 runs, 3 walks, and striking out 3. With the win last night Jason improves to 7-2 on the season and hasn't lost a game since April. The Express now sit just one game behind the Isotopes and will continue their run for the division lead tonight. The Express wrap up a 4 game series with the Isotopes on Thursday before heading home for a 10 game homestand against the New Orleans Zephyrs and the Nashville Sound that concludes on June 25th. Jason will throw again Sunday June 18th. Roger Clemens will make his last rehab start for the Express before making his season debut for the Astros on the 22nd of June.
A breath of fresh air has been given to Matt as he found out some good news today. The Minnesota Twins are looking for a free agent pitcher to fill a roster spot for the Elizabethton Twins (Winners of the 2005 Appalachian League). It would be a one year contract with no gurantees for the 2007 season. Meanwhile, Matt also attened at tryout for the MLB Scouting Bureau at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, CA on June 10th and a tryout for the San Diego Padres on June 12th at East Lost Angeles College in East Los Angeles, CA. He will also attend another tryout for the MLB Scouting Bureau today at Compton College in Compton, CA.
June 5, 2006
Jason continues to carve his path to the majors with another solid performance on Saturday, June 3rd. En route to his 5th win of the season Jason tossed 5 shutout innings giving up 3 hits, 5 walks, and striking out 4. The Express sit atop the American South division of the Pacific Coast League with a 1/2 game lead over Albuquerque. Having lost 6 of their last 9 games the Express look to extend their division lead as they finish their 8 game homestand against the Omaha Royals. They then head out on an 8 game road trip, starting June 8th, with a series against the Iowa Cubs and their division rivals; the Albuquerque Isotopes. Jason is scheduled to pitch against the Iowa Cubs June 9th in the second game of the 4 game series.
Meanwhile back in Burbank, Matt is still looking to sign. It is more likely that he will be playing with an Independent team for the summer and look to sign with a Major League team in the off-season. The First-Year Players Draft is coming up tomorrow and teams are looking to sign the top talent in the country, which makes it tough for Matt to sign as a free agent.
June 9, 2006
Jason led the Express to victory last night with another outstanding performance over the Iowa Cubs. Jason gave up his only run in the first inning after a two out triple, which was followed by another base hit. After that Jason was all business as he would only give up one more hit in the following 5 innings while striking out 7 and walking 4. Jason improves to 6-2 on the season with a 2.83 ERA and is currently 8th in the Pacific Coast League in ERA and tied for second with 4 other players with 6 wins. His next start is scheduled for June 13th against their division rivals, the Albuquerque Isotopes in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Express have fallen 1.5 games behind the Isotopes and look to retake the division lead during their current 8 game road trip. They finish up their 4 game series with the Cubs Sunday before heading to Albuquerque for another 4 game series.
Matt is still currently looking for a team to sign with. He has a workout tomorrow with the Major League Scouting Bureau at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, CA. Another workout is scheduled for the MLB Scouting Bureau on June 14th at Compton College in Compton, CA. Independent ball is still a possibility for Matt but he looks to hopefully sign with a pro team after these workouts with the Scouting Bureau. Updates will be posted as soon as he is notified.
May 30, 2006
Jason has a new entry in his Player Journal. Click here to take a look.
The Express dropped a hearbreaker to the Isotopes yesterday losing 13-12. Jason threw 6 innings giving up 4 runs, 8 hits, and 3 walks while striking out 6. He earned a no decision after his exit in the 6th inning. The Express now sit 2.5 games behind the Isotopes in the American South division of the Pacific Coast League. The Express return home today to host a 4 game series against the Memphis Redbirds (St. Louis Cardnials).
An unexpected turn of events happened yesterday in Kissimmee, Florida when Matt was released. What Matt thought was another routine day at the ballpark turned into a life changing event. The business side of baseball kicked in as the Astros released two other players along with Matt. Eric Sheridan (15th round pick) and Drew Himes (19th round pick) were also let go. Matt is currently at home now in Burbank, California and hopes to sign with another team as soon as possible.
May 26, 2006
Jason continues to dominate in the month of May as he led the Express to victory over the Las Vegas 51s Wednesday night at The Dell Diamond. Jason gave the Express an early 1 run lead when he got an RBI base hit in the 2nd inning. Jason blanked the 51s for 7 innings while surrendering 5 hits, 2 walks and striking out 5. He earned his 4th win of the season to improve to 4-2 while dropping his ERA to a mere 2.88. Jason will make his next start Monday afternoon, May 29th, against the American South division leader Albuquerque Isotopes in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Express look to take the division lead in this series as they sit just 1/2 game behind the Isotopes with a record of 28-17.
Down in Kissimmee, Florida things are starting to wind down for Extended Spring Training. The Astros finish their final game on Tuesday, May 30th. There are only 3 weeks left until Extended Spring Training wraps up and Greeneville and Tri-City begin their seasons. Greeneville begins their season June 21st on the road while Tri-City will open up at home on June 20th. Matt recently threw 2 innings in an intersquad game giving up no hits or runs while striking out 2. He is scheduled to throw Monday against the Tigers in Lakeland, Florida.
May 20, 2006
Jason has a new entry in his Player Journal featured on Minor League Baseball.com. Click here to read it.
Once again Jason had another stellar outing last night as the Express hosted the Tucson Sidewinders last night at The Dell Diamond in Round Rock, Texas in front of crowd of 10,493. The Express jumped out to an early lead when Chris Burke, on a rehab assignment, hit a solo home run in the first inning. Jason took over from there tossing 6 scoreless innings before surrendering his first run of the night in the 7th inning. The Express scored 1 in the bottom of the 7th to take the lead again, only to have the Sidewinders come back and tie it up in the top of the 8th inning. The Sidewinders would go on to score 3 more in the 9th inning to take the lead for good and come out with the 5-2 victory over the Express. Jason finished with 6.2 innings, 5 hits, 1 run, walking 3 and striking out 3. His efforts earned him a no decision as the game was tied when the top of the 7th inning was completed. In his first plate appearance of the night Jason got his first base hit of the season bringing his batting average up to .111. Jason struggled in the month of April going 1-2 with a 6.46 ERA. However, he has come out of his slump and in the month of May Jason is 2-0 with a 0.63 ERA. His next start is slated for Wednesday, May 24th, against the Las Vegas 51s (Los Angeles Dodgers) at home in Round Rock.
Extended Spring Training continues down in Kissimmee, Florida as the Astros took on the Tigers at Tigertown yesterday in Lakeland, Florida. Matt threw 2 innings surrendering 1 hit, 1 walk, 1 hit batsmen, and struck out 1 while giving up 0 runs. Matt will throw again early next week. There are under 4 weeks of Extended Spring Training left and then everybody will break for their respective teams on the 15th of June. The Astros will enjoy 3 days off from Extended Spring Training starting June 1st and will resume Sunday, June 5th at 4pm. It will be a nice few days off for the Astros as some of the players will be heading home to see their families and loved ones while others will hang around the hotel and relax and enjoy their time off.
May 15, 2006
Jason continues to dominate the Pacific Coast League (PCL) as he picked up his 3rd win and improving to 3-2 on the season. He threw 7 strong innings giving up 5 hits, 1 run, walking 4, and striking out 5. Jason also went 0 for 2 at the plate, striking out twice. Travis Driskill picked up his 5th save of the season to secure the win as the Express beat the Beavers 4-2. The Express now sit at 22-13 on the season and remain just a 1/2 game behind the Albuquerque Isotopes in the American South Division. The Express finish up their 8 game road trip at Portland tomorrow night and head home for an 8 game homestand starting off with 4 games against the Tucson Sidewinders followed by a 4 game series with the Las Vegas 51s. Jason is scheduled to pitch at home Friday, May 19th, against the Tucson Sidewinders.
Meanwhile, down in Extended Spring Training Matt has returned to Kissimmee, Florida a college graduate. He graduated over the weekend from California Lutheran University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Multimedia. Matt threw 2 innings today giving up 5 hits, 4 runs, walking none and striking out 2. Matt had a little trouble in the 2nd inning when the lead-off batter reached on an error, which got the inning off to a bad start. Matt has only one more month left of Extended Spring Training before heading off to either New York or Tennessee to start his season. Short Season ball starts on June 20th when the Tri-City Valley Cats open their season at home. Greeneville begins their season June 21st on the road.
May 8, 2006
Once again Jason had a stellar outing tonight as the Express went on to beat the Omaha Royals 13-3 at The Dell Diamond in Round Rock, Texas. Jason got some early support when the Express scored 3 runs in the 2nd inning and 5 more in the 3rd. En route to his second win of the season, Jason tossed 7 innings giving up 5 hits, 1 unearned run, walking none, and striking out 5. With tonight's performance Jason's improves to 2-2 on the season while his ERA drops to 3.96. His next start is slated for May 13th against the Portland Beavers in Portland, Oregon.
Extended Spring Training action continues down in Kissimmee, Florida for the Astros. Matt threw 1 inning against the Cleveland Indians on Friday, May 5th. He gave up 0 hits and 1 walk while surrendering 0 runs. He is scheduled to throw 2 innings in an intersquad game Wednesday, May 10th before returning home to Burbank, California on Friday, May 12th. Matt is graduating from California Lutheran University on Saturday, May 13th. After four years of hard work in the classroom, Matte newar will receive his Bachelor of Arts degree in Multimedia. The undergraduate ceremony starts at 10:00am and takes place at Mt. Clef Stadium on the campus of CLU in Thousand Oaks, California. He will promptly return to Kissimmee the following day to continue Extended Spring Training.
May 3, 2006
Jason has a new entry in his Player Journal featured on Minor League Baseball.com. Click here to read it.
The Express defeated the Oklahoma RedHawks today in walk-off fashion as Royce Huffman hit a homerun in the bottom of the 9th inning with 1 out to score the only run of the game. Jason had his best outing this year as he went 8 strong innings giving up only 2 hits and 1 walk while striking out a season high 7 batters. His efforts earned him a no decision as Travis Driskill earned the win with a strong 9th inning. The Express improve to 14-10 on the season, which leaves them in 2nd place sitting 3 games behind the Albuquerque Isotopes (18-8) in the American South division. Jason is scheduled to start again on Monday, May 8th at home against the Omaha Royals, finishing up an 8 game homestand at The Dell Diamond in Round Rock, Texas. The Express then take to the road to face the Tacoma Rainiers in Tacoma, Washington for a 4 game series followed by a 4 game series against the Portland Beavers in Portland, Oregon.
May 1, 2006
There is a new entry in Matt's journal. Click here to take a look.
The Astros took on the Tigers at Tigertown in Lakeland, FL today in Extended Spring Training play. Matt threw 2 innings and gave up 1 hit and 1 walk while allowing 0 runs. He got into a little trouble early as he walked the lead-off batter. The next batter fouled out to third basemen Pedro Espinoza and the following batter reached base on a double down the left field line, which left runners at first and second with 1 out. Matt then got the next two batters to line out and ground out to reitre the side. The second inning was a quick one as he retired the side in order while throwing less than 10 pitches. Matt's next outing will be Friday, May 5th. The Astros will take on the Atlanta Braves tomorrow at the Disneyworld Sports Complex in Orlando, FL while looking to extend their current winning streak to 4 games.
April 28, 2006
The Express dropped their series opener against the Omaha Royals 10-1 last night at Rosenblatt Stadium. Jason had his shortest outing of the season going 3.1 innings while giving up 6 hits, 5 runs (4 earned), 4 walks, and striking out 1. The Express drop to 9-10 on the season while the Royals improve to 12-8. Round Rock is currently in 3rd place in the American South division of the Pacific Coast League behind the New Orleans Zephyrs and the Albuquerque Isotopes. Their game tonight was postponed due to rain and they will resume play tomorrow, most likely in a doubleheader.
April 26, 2006
Today in Extended Spring Training Matt threw 2 innings. The game was an intersquad, as today was a camp day for all teams. The game lasted 5 innings, which Matt pitched the last two. He did well as he gave up 2 runs (1 earned), 3 hits, and 1 walk while striking out 3. Matt is scheduled to pitch again early next week, which will most likely be Monday, May 1st.
Meanwhile, the Round Rock Express are enjoying a day off today after their game was suspended last night in the 6th inning with a tied score in Iowa due to rain. Jason is set to pitch the first game of a 4 game series against the Omaha Royals starting tomorrow night in Omaha, Nebraska.
April 22, 2006
A rough first inning was too much for the Express to overcome as the New Orleans Zephyrs went on to beat the Express 5-1 Friday night at Dell Diamond in Round Rock, Texas. Jason suffered his first loss and drops to 1-1 on the season. Third baseman Brandon Larson hit a grand slam in the first inning to give the Zephyrs an early 4 run lead. Jason threw 5.2 innings giving up 7 hits, 5 runs, 3 walks, and striking out 6. His next start will be Thursday, April 27th, against the Omaha Royals in Omaha, Nebraska.
The Astros took on the Detroit Tigers today in Lakeland, Florida during an Extended Spring Training game. Matt had his best outing yet, throwing 2 innings while giving up 1 hit and striking out 1 as the Astros went on to beat the Tigers by a score of 6-2. The Astros will resume play on Monday, April 24th, taking on the Atlanta Braves in a home game beginning at 1:00pm.
April 21, 2006
Some new pictuers of Jason have been added. Click here to see them.
Jason made his third start for the Round Rock Express on Sunday, April 9th. He threw 5.1 innings while surrendering 6 hits, 4 runs, 1 walk, and striking out 3. For his effort he earned a no decision, as the Express went on to beat the Iowa Cubs by a score of 6-4. He is scheduled to start tonight against the New Orleans Zephyrs starting at 8:05PM EST. You can watch the live stats on Gameday 2006 by visiting Minor League Baseball and clicking on the gameday for Round Rock on the MiLB Scoreboard. Also be sure to check out Jason's new entry in his ongoing Player Journal featured on Minor League Baseball.com. Click here to take a look.
Meanwhile, in Extended Spring Training, Matt has preparing himeself for his upcoming season. His last outing was against the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday, April 18th, going 1 inning while giving up 3 hits, 1 run, and striking out 1. He is scheduled to pitch 2 innings against the Detroit Tigers tomorrow, April 22nd. Keep current with his log from Extended Spring training by clicking here.
April 12, 2006
Jason's second start for the Triple A Round Rock Express was certainly a crowd pleaser. The 6'8 Burbank native tossed 5 innings while giving up 5 hits, 3 runs, walking 1 and striking out 5. With that start Jason earned his first Triple A victory as the Express went on to beat the RedHawks 7-3. Jason will make his next start on Sunday, April 16th in Round Rock's home opening series against the Iowa Cubs.
April 11, 2006
Jason made his first Triple A (AAA) start last Thursday, April 6th in New Orleans, Louisiana. It was a special honor for him as that game was the first outdoor sporting event to occur since hurricane Katrina. He tossed 4.1 innings while giving up just 2 hits, 3 runs (1 earned), striking out 5 and walking 3. He earned a no decision as Round Rock went on to score the go-ahead run in the top of the 9th inning and win the game 5-4. Jason makes his next start tonight, going against the Oklahoma RedHawks. Round Rock is currently 1-4 in their first five games of the season but look to improve with a solid start from Jason.
Matt threw his first innings during Extended Spring Training against the Cleveland Indians on Monday, April 10th. He threw 1.2 innings and gave up 4 hits and 3 runs while hitting one batter. He is set to pitch 1 inning Friday once again against the Indians. Extended Spring Training will continue throughout the months of April and May and will continue into the middle of June. After Extended Spring Training Matt will be sent either back to Greeneville, Tennessee to play Rookie ball for the Greeneville Astros or head up to Albany, New York for Short Season A with the Tri-City Valley Cats.
April 5, 2006
Matt has arrived in Kissimmee, Florida for Extended Spring Training and had his first workout at Astros training facility. He threw a bullpen today and will throw live batting practice this coming Saturday. The Extended Spring Training team begins play on Monday April, 10th taking on the Cleveland Indians.
March 30, 2006
Spring Training is officially over and everybody will break for their respective teams tomorrow. The Minor League season officially starts on April 6th. Jason will begin his season in Triple A (AAA) this year for the Round Rock Express. Being the number 1 prospect in the Astros organization, Jason is not far from the big leagues. He is projected to make his Major League Debut sometime this year.
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