Houston Astros

GLENDALE — St. Francis High graduate Mark Loretta will be heading back to a familiar locale. Loretta, a two-time All-Star, signed a one-year contract for an estimated $2.5 million with the Houston Astros, according to MLB.com. Loretta's agent, Bob Garber, said the deal, which was finalized late Wednesday night, could be worth as much as $3.5 million with incentives. Loretta, who played for the Astros during the second half of the 2002 season, has primarily been a second baseman for most of his 12-year career.

GLENDALE — It's been a whirlwind 2006 for Jason Hirsh, to say the least. And Tuesday might very well have been the most shocking day of the year, as the 2000 St. Francis graduate was dealt by the Houston Astros to the Colorado Rockies. "It's been quite a ride and it's not getting any slower," said Hirsh from his parents' Burbank home. Hirsh was part of a five-player deal that sent the 24-year-old right-handed pitcher to the Rockies along with pitcher Taylor Buchholz and center fielder Willy Taveres for right-handed pitchers Miguel Asencio and Jason Jennings, Colorado's all-time wins leader.

Anaheim ? Less than halfway through the season, it appears the Houston Astros are thankful they made a wise investment. The Astros lost starting shortstop Adam Everett to a serious knee injury June 14 when he fractured his right fibula in a violent collision with robust outfielder Carlos Lee. Everett will likely miss the next two months. Fortunately for the Astros, they have been able to alleviate the concerns of Everett's absence by turning to a former area star to provide quality at bats and defensive stability around the infield.

Charles Rich Mark Loretta will be returning to Southern California to resume his career. The San Diego Padres signed Loretta, a 1989 St. Francis High graduate, to a one-year contract Monday. Terms of the contract were not revealed by team officials at the Winter Meetings in Nashville, Tenn. Loretta began his career with the Milwaukee Brewers, who then shipped the 31-year-old infielder to the Houston Astros during the trade deadline in July.

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL NAME: Mark Loretta TEAM: San Diego Padres LOCAL TIES: St. Francis, class of 1989 THIS SEASON: Entering Friday's game against the host Chicago White Sox, Loretta was batting .293 with five home runs and 22 runs batted in. Loretta, an infielder who previously played for the Milwaukee Brewers and Houston Astros, has scored 24 runs and recorded 65 hits this season. He's recorded 11 doubles and one triple. LATEST NEWS: Loretta registered a double in an 8-5 loss to the host Cleveland Indians on Tuesday.

GLENDALE — The following are odds and ends from the local sports scene: AREA TEAMS GOING IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS Two local teams are represented in this week's CIF Southern Section rankings, which were released Monday. The squads, however, are headed in different directions, with one falling and the other climbing in the newest rankings. The St. Francis High baseball team is ranked No. 10 in Division III, falling seven spots from last week. The Golden Knights dropped two Mission League contests to Chaminade last week, 8-1 on Tuesday and 4-3 in eight innings on Friday.

GLENDALE ? Face time is coming in abundance for Major League Baseball prospect Jason Hirsh. The 2002 St. Francis High graduate and former Burbank resident played in his second all-star game in four days on Wednesday. Representing the Round Rock Express and playing for the Pacific Coast League in its 6-0 loss to the International League at the Triple-A All-Star game, Hirsh, 24, got in one inning of work. The game, which was played at Fifth Third Field in Toledo, Ohio, was telecast live on ESPN 2. On Sunday night, Hirsh got the start in the All-Star Futures Game ?

Edgar Melik-Stepanyan Mark Loretta (St. Francis, 1989), third baseman, San Diego Padres -- Loretta has done well in his first season with the Padres. He has a .288 batting average, keeping reserve third baseman Sean Burroughs, who is hitting just .167, on the bench. Loretta -- who signed a one-year contract with the Padres in the offseason after playing eight years with the Milwaukee Brewers and Houston Astros -- has started 15 games and posted a .319 on-base percentage.

GLENDALE — The following are updates on the area's Major League Baseball players. Jason Hirsh (St. Francis High, 2000) starting pitcher, Colorado Rockies: Hirsh, a right-hander, allowed three runs (two earned) and three hits Tuesday night to help Colorado post an 11-4 home win against the Milwaukee Brewers. He went six innings and struck out one to cool off the Brewers. Milwaukee built a 3-0 lead with single runs in the first, fifth and sixth innings before the Rockies mounted their comeback with a five-run sixth.

GLENDALE — The following is a retrospective on how locals fared during the 2008 Major League Baseball regular season .   Seven former area standouts competed at the Major League level this year. None of them advanced to the postseason with their respective squads. Some of them battled injuries throughout parts of the season, while others were recalled from the minor leagues to help their teams in different facets. For the first time since 2005, there wasn’t a local tie to the All-Star Game.

GLENDALE — The following are updates on area Major League Baseball players .   Freddy Sanchez (Glendale Community College, 1998) Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman: The 2006 National League batting champion continues to struggle while the Pirates try to get to the .500 mark. Sanchez, a two-time All-Star, had a quality effort Wednesday night during the Pirates’ 5-2 home win against the visiting Houston Astros. He finished with a pair of singles.

GLENDALE ? The following are odds and ends from the local sports scene. ? SEVEN AREA HIGH SCHOOL TEAMS RANKED So far, nobody has been able to knock the Renaissance Academy boys? basketball team from its perch atop the CIF Southern Section Division III-A rankings. The Wildcats are among the seven local teams ranked, according to the latest CIF polls released Tuesday. The Wildcats, who are coached by Sid Cooke , are still No. 1 in their poll. They posted an impressive 67-35 victory Saturday against La Cañada ?

GLENDALE — The following are updates on the area's Major League Baseball players. Jason Hirsh (St. Francis High, 2000) starting pitcher, Colorado Rockies: Hirsh, a right-hander, allowed three runs (two earned) and three hits Tuesday night to help Colorado post an 11-4 home win against the Milwaukee Brewers. He went six innings and struck out one to cool off the Brewers. Milwaukee built a 3-0 lead with single runs in the first, fifth and sixth innings before the Rockies mounted their comeback with a five-run sixth.

Anaheim ? Less than halfway through the season, it appears the Houston Astros are thankful they made a wise investment. The Astros lost starting shortstop Adam Everett to a serious knee injury June 14 when he fractured his right fibula in a violent collision with robust outfielder Carlos Lee. Everett will likely miss the next two months. Fortunately for the Astros, they have been able to alleviate the concerns of Everett's absence by turning to a former area star to provide quality at bats and defensive stability around the infield.

GLENDALE — The following are updates on local athletes competing in Major League Baseball. The St. Francis High graduate yielded three runs — all in the first inning — on five hits over six innings, but received no run support. The Rockies plated a pair of runs in the top of the seventh, during which Hirsh was removed for a pinch hitter. They added another run in the eighth to tie the game and take Hirsh off the hook for the loss. Colorado went on to defeat the Giants, 5-3. Nonetheless, the game ran Hirsh's streak of starts without a win to six, with his last victory coming April 22 against the Padres at Coors Field.

GLENDALE — The following are updates on area athletes in Major League Baseball. LORETTA DEFINING HIS ROLE WITH ASTROS It took a while for Mark Loretta to get things going after he signed a free-agent contract last winter with the Houston Astros. Now, he's starting to make positive contributions for a team that struggled throughout parts of April. Through Sunday's home game against the Milwaukee Brewers, Loretta, a St. Francis High graduate, is batting .375 (15 for 40)

GLENDALE — The following are odds and ends from the local sports scene: AREA TEAMS GOING IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS Two local teams are represented in this week's CIF Southern Section rankings, which were released Monday. The squads, however, are headed in different directions, with one falling and the other climbing in the newest rankings. The St. Francis High baseball team is ranked No. 10 in Division III, falling seven spots from last week. The Golden Knights dropped two Mission League contests to Chaminade last week, 8-1 on Tuesday and 4-3 in eight innings on Friday.