This the kind of night that kills skepticism. The kind of night that gives a real impression.
Wednesday, the Rockies rolled up their sleeves and methodically slugged the Pirates into submission in an 8-0 victory.
By the first inning, the Rockies had cleansed Tuesday night’s embarrassing performance in a 7-3 loss and re-established themselves as the wild-card favorites. They own a one-game lead over the Giants.
All it took to stay in front was a glimpse of Ubaldo Jimenez’s 96-mph fastball and Carlos Gonzalez’s home run to left field.
Gonzalez’s first-inning swat — how long before the Coors Field crowd starts the rhythmic CarGo chant? — pushed the Rockies ahead 2-0. It felt much larger as Jimenez, even without his best command, toyed with a young Pirates lineup.
Jimenez’s victory was his fourth straight and gave the Rockies four 10-game winners for only the second time in club history. The last time it occurred was 2000, but this is the first time all those in double digits are starters: Jason Marquis, Aaron Cook, Jorge De La Rosa and Jimenez.
His outing — eight innings, three hits allowed, six strikeouts in 119 pitches — was nothing short of an oxygen mask for the bullpen. Worried about covering innings if a starter exited early after using both long men Tuesday, the Rockies called up Adam Eaton and demoted Jhoulys Chacin.
Eaton wasn’t needed as Jimenez worked at least six innings for the 20th straight start. He made his biggest pitch in the fifth, denying the Bucs’ only rally by inducing a bases-loaded groundball from Andrew McCutchen.
