Rockies not rushing Morales, Hirsh

Highly touted young arms slowly making progress in Minors DENVER -- Left-handed pitcher Franklin Morales, one of the darlings of the Rockies' 2007 playoff run, started this season so badly that he was sent to Triple-A Colorado Springs. Then his command of the strike zone became even worse. Finally, according to Rockies player development director Marc Gustafson, Morales was right where he needed to be. "Now that we've kind of bottomed out, we're changing some bad habits," Gustafson said. "He's on line [with the plate]. He's finishing his pitches. That curveball is coming back." The Rockies are trying to stay in contention with a less-than-ideal rotation. Yet they are being patient with Morales and their other highly regarded young hurler, right-hander Jason Hirsh, who is being given time to rebuild his arm strength and... [read full story]