Reliever Matt Daley worked a scoreless inning Thursday for Triple-A Colorado Springs in his second appearance on a rehab assignment.

Daley, who is expected to rejoin the Rockies on Friday in St. Louis when they open a four-game series with the Cardinals, threw 18 pitches, 11 strikes while pitching the seventh inning in the Sky Sox’s 3-1 loss to Fresno.

After getting the first two batters to ground out, Daley gave up a single to catcher Steve Holm, who spent time with the Giants earlier this season, and struck out Jake Wald to end the inning. Daley, who sprained his left foot May 17, struck out the three batters he faced Monday in his first rehab appearance for the Sky Sox.

Daley came on in relief of Matt Belisle, who made his second start for the Sky Sox and was very effective. He needed just 58 pitches to work six scoreless innings, throwing 42 strikes while allowing seven hits with one walk and two strikeouts.

In his first start for the Sky Sox last Friday after his demotion from the Rockies, Belisle gave up five hits, five runs and three walks in 3 2/3 innings and threw 69 pitches, 39 for strikes.

Catcher Austin Rauch, 20, made his second appearance and first start for the Sky Sox. They were in need of catching help after Paul Phillips and Edwin Bellorin moved up to the Rockies, the latter Tuesday when Yorvit Torrealba was placed on the restricted list and flew to Venezuela to deal with personal matters.

Rauch, who went 1-for-3 and drove in the Sky Sox’s lone run with a two-out single in the second, played at Rookie Casper in 2006 and 2007 and at short-season Class A Tri-City last year. He was summoned to Colorado Springs from the extended spring training program at Tucson