CINCINNATI — Three hours before game time, the rituals commence. They begin taping their wrists, applying the eye black and meticulously preparing their weapons.
It seems like a scene from “Braveheart.” It takes a brave heart to face the Rockies’ hitters on nights like Saturday.
Not one guy weighed less than 205 pounds. None was shorter than 6-foot-1. They held a lumber party for starter Ubaldo Jimenez, bullying their way to a 6-2 victory at Great American Ball Park.
“We have a good lineup,” third baseman Ian Stewart said. “And I can’t imagine facing Jimenez. The guy is throwing 98 mph on his last pitch. That’s brutal. You gotta be just hoping to get him out of the game to have a chance.”
The win kept the Rockies tied with the Giants in the wild-card race. Jimenez has rarely been less challenged this season, allowing only three baserunners after the second inning. It showed growth, the right-hander protecting a lead with Secret Service vigilance.
“Too many times, I have made that one mistake that has hurt me. I wasn’t going to let that happen again,” Jimenez said. “It was time to close the door.”
As Jimenez matured before the Rockies’ eyes, the lineup soothed lingering concerns.
For all the hand-wringing about the bullpen, the Rockies’ offense quietly underachieved last month. The games were closer, creating a daily dissection of the relievers, because Colorado wasn’t hitting enough. The Rockies batted .249 in July, 28 points lower than their NL-best mark in June. They averaged 4.5 runs, a full run off the previous month’s production.
“We have the type of offense that when we get it going again, and we will, somebody is going to pay dearly,” Rockies manager Jim Tracy promised recently.
In a less-than-desirable outing, Reds starter Homer Bailey received a thorough pounding, unable to make adjustments against the Rockies’ hitters the second time through the lineup. Trailing 2-0, Colorado loaded the bases against the right-hander in the fourth inning. After fighting off 95-mph heat, Stewart smoked a hanging changeup into the right-field gap, tying the score. Carlos Gonzalez followed with a sacrifice fly. He started in center field — Dexter Fowler was on the bench for three consecutive games for the first time, as Tracy attempts to maximize the skills of both players.
Ideally, Tracy admitted, he would like to play Fowler and Gonzalez together, leaving Seth Smith and Garrett Atkins as dynamic bats on the bench. That’s going to be difficult with the way Smith continues to hit.
He homered Saturday — his ninth — swelling a slim lead into a three-run bulge.
It felt bigger in Jimenez’s care. He finished with eight strikeouts in eight innings, consistently hitting 100 mph with his sinker. Not since Kevin Brown, circa 1997, has a pitcher done that.
“I know, it’s crazy,” Rockies catcher Yorvit Torrealba said. “He always throws hard, but even he had a little more tonight.”
Troy E. Renck: 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com
Looking ahead
TODAY: Rockies at Reds, 11:10 a.m., FSN
Jason Marquis (12-7, 3.47 ERA) is no longer worried about the blister on his middle finger. He is playing catch and throwing side sessions without gauze to protect it. The issue now is regaining dive on his sinker at increased velocity. Marquis has won four times at Great American Ball Park, but he’s never faced Scott Rolen there. The new Reds slugger owns three home runs against him. Bronson Arroyo (10-10, 5.17) has walked a combined six batters in his last two starts, both losses. Todd Helton is 5-for-11 against him with two home runs. Troy E. Renck, The Denver Post
Monday: Off
Tuesday: Rockies’ Jason Hammel (5-6, 4.66) vs. Phillies’ Jamie Moyer (10-7, 5.32), 5:10 p.m., FSN
Wednesday: Rockies’ Jorge De La Rosa (9-7, 4.68) vs. Phillies’ J.A. Happ (7-2, 2.97), 5:10 p.m., FSN
Thursday: Rockies’ Aaron Cook (10-3, 3.88) vs. Phillies’ Cliff Lee (8-9, 3.02), 11:05 a.m., no TV
Friday: Cubs’ Carlos Zambrano (7-4, 3.35) vs. Rockies’ Ubaldo Jimenez (8-9, 3.76), 7:10 p.m., FSN
