Morales scratched from start Friday vs. Reds

DENVER (AP) The Colorado Rockies have scratched left-hander Franklin Morales from his scheduled start Friday with his wife in labor.

Instead, the team will send reliever Matt Belisle to the mound against Cincinnati. It will be Belisle's first start since May 25, 2008, when he was with the Reds.

Manager Walt Weiss said he found out about Morales on Friday afternoon and there wasn't time to get another starter to town. The team's Triple-A affiliate is down the road in Colorado Springs, but the Sky Sox are in Sacramento for a series.

Weiss is hoping Belisle can last three innings and then turn things over to the bullpen. Weiss said he's going to ''improvise a little bit.''

The Rockies may have Morales available as a reliever on Saturday.