DENVER -- Darren Clarke's last birthday present to himself was something of a disappointment. A week before turning 26, Clarke was in Spring Training with the Rockies, trying to turn some heads with his overpowering fastball.

Instead, he strained his groin and ended up starting the season on the Minor League disabled list.

He did a little better coming up with a present for his son, who, along with Clarke's mother, was visiting him in Tulsa when Clarke got the news Thursday morning that he was being called up to the Rockies for his Major League debut.

"I went over to the hotel to pick my mom up, and our Minor League development guy was outside," Clarke said of the surprising news. "He told me then when I walked outside, so it was pretty crazy. I almost thought it was a joke, but nobody's going to joke about that, especially because I introduced him to my mom, and that was the first time my mom had met him. It kind of caught me off guard at first, but then he said it again, and it was pretty cool."

Clarke's son's birthday is Saturday, and he had to fly home for a big birthday party, but Clarke's mother spent Friday in the air taking her grandson home, then collecting Clarke's brother and his wife, arriving back in Denver just in time for the game and his pending big-league debut.

Clarke was justified in being surprised at making the leap from Double-A Tulsa to the big leagues, bypassing Triple-A Colorado Springs with only 6 1/3 innings at the Double-A level under his belt.

He hadn't allowed a run in five appearances, striking out 10 of the 20 batters he faced yielding only one hit and one walk, holding opposing hitters to a .053 batting average.

"I was throwing the ball well, but I definitely didn't expect that," said Clarke.

The 6-foot-8 right-hander is known as a power pitcher, complementing his fastball with a slider and a changeup. He has been plagued by injuries, hitting the disabled list twice in 2004 before undergoing Tommy John surgery on his right elbow in August. He was on the DL two more times in 2005 and twice again in 2006, all with arm-related injuries.

"Clarke has pitched well at Tulsa," said manager Clint Hurdle. "When he's been healthy, he's thrown well enough to get your attention and say, 'Let's see what's there.' We'll get him involved here as we try to weave our bullpen to be more effective than it's been for the first seven weeks of the season."

To make room for Clarke, Zach McClellan (1-0, 5.79 ERA in 12 appearances) went on the 15-day DL with right shoulder inflammation.

With his debut Friday night, Clarke became the 21st pitcher to appear on the Rockies 12-man staff, most in the Majors, and one more than the Yankees, who have had 20.

Blake Street bust: The three-game series just completed between the Rockies and Diamondbacks tied the record for the fewest runs scored in a three-game series at Coors Field. The two teams totaled 15 runs in three days, with Arizona winning, 3-0, on Tuesday, Colorado bouncing back for a 5-3 victory Wednesday, and Arizona taking the finale, 3-1.

Of the 224 games played in Coors Field, only a three-game series with the Cardinals last July matched the 15-run low, according to Elias Sports Bureau.

The low numbers from the visiting hitters are a welcome sight, but the lack of offense from the home dugout has been a steady concern through the first quarter of a season.

"We expect more from ourselves offensively, so I would have to say this isn't enough of a sample," Hurdle said. "Maybe I'm in denial. I believe there's more here, I believe there's better here. I believe in these guys offensively, and I believe they're going to pick it up and do better."

Get well soon: Rai Henniger, Sky Sox vice president of marketing and promotions, is at Denver Health Medical Center, undergoing treatment after suffering traumatic injuries while setting up pyrotechnics before a Sky Sox baseball game last Saturday.

Henniger, 47, sustained major facial and head injuries and will require months of medical care, restorative surgery, and therapy.

Henniger has been a member of the Sky Sox staff for over 17 years, and is well-known to fans for serving as the team's on-field emcee, directing all the between-inning events that entertain fans of the Rockies' Triple-A affiliate.

His wife, Heather, is staying in Denver, while his three children, Grace (10), Emma (7) and Benjamin (5) remain in Colorado Springs with their grandparents. The family expects to relocate to Denver for the duration of Henniger's treatment.

To offset the healthcare and family expenses the Hennigers face, The "Rai Henniger Family Fund" has been established at Security Service Federal Credit Union. Donations can be dropped off at any branch location in Colorado Springs, Pueblo and Denver, and they can be mailed to The Rai Henniger Family Fund, 1485 Kelly Johnson Boulevard, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80920.

Anyone who would like to send cards can send them to The Henniger Family, c/o Sky Sox, 4385 Tutt Boulevard, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80922.

Major Minors: Three players from the Rockies Opening Day roster remain on the disabled list, and all of them are with the Sky Sox on rehabilitation assignments.

•  Rodrigo Lopez (1-0, 1.59 ERA in three starts for the Rockies) will make his first rehab start for the Sky Sox on Saturday in Sacramento.

•  Kazuo Matsui (.361 average with five steals in nine games) has left extended Spring Training to rehab with the Sky Sox.

•  LaTroy Hawkins (0-3, 8.59 in nine relief appearances) will pitch in back-to-back games Saturday and Sunday, and could be back with the Rockies on Wednesday, if all goes well.

Hawkins hit the DL April 21 with right elbow inflammation, and Hurdle explained Friday that Hawkins tried to pitch through the problem before revealing the nature of his injury to the club.

"I'm not sure how healthy Hawk was coming out of the chute," Hurdle said. "I think it happened toward the end of Spring Training. Being a veteran guy, he experienced some things he'd experienced before. He was always able to work through them [in the past]. This time it really didn't happen that way, and two weeks in he was at the point where I asked him some probing questions and he said, 'You know what? This isn't working. And it doesn't feel like it has in the past.'

Additionally, Mike DeJean made his first appearance for the Tulsa Drillers on Thursday, pitching two scoreless innings while allowing two hits and a walk.

DeJean, 36, pitched out of the Rockies bullpen from 1997-2000 and again in 2006 for two games before hitting the DL. He has a Minor League contract with the Rockies this season.

"He seems to be doing well," said Hurdle. "The velocities [Thursday] weren't what they've been in the past, but I think they're moving in the right direction."

On tap: Taylor Buchholz (1-2, 7.52 ERA) takes the mound in the middle game of the three-game set with the Royals, taking on Gil Meche (3-1, 1.91 ERA) at 6:05 p.m. MT.