SAN DIEGO — With a bat in hand, Ubaldo Jimenez is a dandelion. He can’t hit unless his childhood idol is pitching. He collected two hits against Pedro Martinez this season. Against everyone else, he’s 0-for-53.
But put a ball in his hand and hide the women and children. He is overpowering and scary. Yet on a cool Saturday night, when his team needed him most, Jimenez was frighteningly ineffective, his lack of command preventing the Rockies from making up critical ground.
In the end, they lost 9-4 to the San Diego Padres, a team pushing harder for the first pick in the draft than a playoff spot.
“My arm slot kept changing. It’s frustrating for sure,” Jimenez said. “I didn’t do anything to help us win.”
It left the Rockies six games behind the forgiving Arizona Diamondbacks, a deficit that provides a puncher’s chance. This outing, however, will eat at their gut.
The Rockies knew by the third inning that the Diamondbacks had lost. They owned a 2-0 lead against a last-place team. Jimenez abruptly lost control of the steering wheel in the fourth inning, sending the car into the guardrail.
Two enduring snapshots defined the evening.
When Jimenez walked rookie catcher Nick Hundley, the No. 8 hitter, on four straight pitches, he walked off the mound and shook his head in disgust. When he walked rookie pitcher Josh Greer, who was making his big-league debut, on four consecutive pitches, manager Clint Hurdle unfolded his arms and spun his back to the field.
It was hard to watch, not unlike Jorge De La Rosa in San Francisco on Tuesday. De La Rosa regained his control by fixing his stride. The Rockies had more chats than AOL, with everyone from pitching coach Bob Apodaca, catcher Chris Iannetta and shortstop Troy Tulowitzki trying to calm the 24-year-old. But Jimenez was so far out of whack, nothing helped.
“He knows how much I believe in him. I told him to let his defense work. He just couldn’t find the strike zone. That’s disappointing for him and us,” Tulowitzki said. “Anytime you are trying to catch a team and you have a window of opportunity and you don’t capitalize, it’s tough.”
As the fourth inning progressed, Jimenez began falling off to the first base side and dropping his elbow below his shoulder. He was missing the zone by feet, not inches. In the end, his line explained the final score: 3 2/3 innings, the third shortest of his career, two hits, five walks and six runs.
Not unlike Aaron Cook, Jimenez has quietly been battling a slump. He went 2-3 with a 5.79 ERA this month. In many ways his performance was a reminder of how the Rockies fell into this deep of a division hole in the first place.
Their inability to pound the strike zone — along with abysmal clutch hitting — has kept the Rockies from meeting expectations. They are on pace for 550 walks after permitting a franchise-low 504 last season.
“It’s been huge that we have gotten better in the second half, but it has been one of the most disappointing aspects,” Hurdle said.
“At one point and time this year we led the league in double plays and we fell off the map. When you don’t pitch well, you don’t turn double plays. Now they are starting to show up again because we have pitched better — shocker.”
Twice this past week, the Rockies had an opportunity to shave the Diamondbacks’ lead to five games. Twice they whiffed.
The Rockies are no strangers to disbelief, practically patenting the emotion last September. But it never felt like this.
On a night when they desperately needed a win, disbelief came from stunning failure not a crowning achievement.
Footnotes.
Yorvit Torrealba jogged before the game and did some drills, but the torn left meniscus in his knee wouldn’t allow him to crotch. That’s why he went on the disabled list and will sometime soon have surgery. “He dealt with this as long as he could. He needs to get it fixed,” Hurdle said. … Adam Melhuse arrived in haste from Las Vegas. He didn’t even have time to get his bags from the hotel room, racing to catch a plane to arrive for Saturday’s game in San Diego. Melhuse pinch-hit and lined out. Other than Ryan Spilborghs and Matt Herges returning from rehab assignments, the Rockies have been mum about call-ups. The most likely are Franklin Morales and Greg Reynolds – Jason Hirsh and Juan Morillo are options – first baseman Joe Koshansky, catcher Edwin Bellorin and Double-A star Dexter Fowler.
Troy E. Renck: 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com
TODAY: Rockies at Padres, 2:05 p.m., FSN
Jeff Francis’ (4-8, 5.36 ERA) progress can be measured by location more than anything. His shoulder healthy, he’s again throwing fastballs inside to right-handed hitters. And more than once in the same at-bat. That’s prevented batters from diving out over the plate, leaving his changeup and curveball as great off-balance pitches. Jake Peavy (9-9, 2.84), the reigning Cy Young winner, has been worked over by the Rockies. He’s 1-4 against them since 2005, including his meltdown in the wild-card tiebreaker last October.
Troy E. Renck, The Denver Post
Monday:
Giants’ Jonathan Sanchez (8-9, 4.53) vs. Rockies’ Jorge De La Rosa (7-7, 5.60), 1:05 p.m., FSN
Tuesday:
Giants’ Tim Lincecum (15-3, 2.43) vs. Rockies’ Livan Hernandez (11-11, 6.14), 6:35 p.m., FSN
Wednesday: Giants’ Barry Zito (8-16, 5.62) vs. Rockies’ Aaron Cook (16-8, 3.88), 1:05 p.m.
Thursday:
Off day
