Colorado @ St. Louis preview
Busch Stadium
Last Meeting ( Oct 1, 2010 ) Colorado 0, St. Louis 3
At the All-Star break, it looked like a sure thing that Ubaldo Jimenez would finish the season with well over 20 wins. That is not going to happen.
Jimenez will get one more crack at his 20th win when the Colorado Rockies face the St. Louis Cardinals again on Saturday.
With just two games remaining in the Rockies’ season, Jimenez is down to his last shot at his first 20-win season, a feat that seemed certain when he rolled into the All-Star break with a 15-1 record and a 2.20 ERA. But while that first half was probably unsustainable, five more wins certainly seemed like a good bet.
Instead, Jimenez has been doomed by bad luck and poor run support since the break, allowing three runs or less in five of his seven losses.
His last start was another example of the same theme, as the 26-year-old right-hander surrendered just two runs and three hits through seven innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Unfortunately, Jimenez was saddled with the loss as the Rockies managed just one run.
The Cy Young Award front-runner at the break, Jimenez has fallen below others like Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Roy Halladay, Florida Marlins ace Josh Johnson and St. Louis Cardinals hurler Adam Wainwright among a handful of National League pitchers having great years.
But while he may not win the Cy Young and he might not get that elusive 20th win, Jimenez has used this season to establish himself as a true ace, capable of dominating any lineup. His 2.99 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 204 strikeouts are all career-best marks. Jimenez has also used his hard sinker to great effect this season, allowing just 10 homers in 213 2/3 innings.
The Cardinals have fallen victim to that arsenal once already this season, managing just one run and three hits in eight innings while striking out six times on July 6. Jimenez induced 11 groundouts in the contest to earn his 15th win. He owns a 2-2 record with a 3.55 ERA in five starts against St. Louis.
Jimenez will also be tasked with snapping the Rockies’ six-game losing streak on Saturday. Falling hard in the final weeks, Colorado has won just one of its last 12 games and has managed only one run in losing the first two games of this series.
The Rockies had a chance in the eighth inning on Friday with the bases loaded and National League batting leader Carlos Gonzalez at the plate, but Trevor Miller managed to induce a groundout back to the pitcher to secure the Cardinals’ 3-0 victory.
St. Louis will give the ball to Kyle Lohse on Saturday. The veteran right-hander has gotten knocked around lately, allowing a total of 10 runs on 17 hits over nine innings in his last two starts.