WASHINGTON — Ubaldo Jimenez is the kid your mother never warned you about. He’s the kid his mother loves to talk about. Ramona carries a picture of a 5-year-old Ubaldo in her purse.
“That was my first insurance card,” Jimenez said. “I was so little then.”
Jimenez has grown up and sprouted into a star. He followed up the first no-hitter in Rockies’ history by not allowing a run in Thursday’s 2-0 victory over Washington at Nationals Park.
Jimenez’s streak of 34 batters without allowing a hit ended in the first inning when Willie Harris one-hopped a double off the right-field wall. That qualified as the Nationals’ best threat against the 26-year-old right-hander. Jimenez worked 7 1/3 innings, allowing five hits on 121 pitches, while recording five outs on comebackers. He improved to 4-0.
His last pitch was 97 miles per hour, a testament to his strength and stamina.
“He is the Felix Hernandez of the National League,” Nationals manager Jim Riggleman said before the game, alluding to Seattle’s ace.
He’s certainly not the Livan Hernandez of the NL. Jimenez is power. Hernandez tries to tickle you to death with a feather. The erstwhile Rockie is off to a terrific start this season, having allowed just three earned runs in three appearances. He deftly blended 84-mph fastballs with 65-mph curveballs Thursday.
The Rockies’ assault on Hernandez amounted to a pair of swings. Catcher Miguel Olivo, who erased his seventh base runner in nine chances, shot a moonball into the left-field seats in the second inning for his third home run. And Ian Stewart hit his team-best fourth homer in the seventh, a seat-seeking missile to right field.
Manager Jim Tracy juggled his bullpen to bring home the win that left the Rockies 8-8 coming off this road trip.
With left-handers Nyjer Morgan and Willie Harris sandwiching Cristian Guzman, Tracy elected to use left-hander Joe Beimel in the eighth inning, rather than Rafael Betancourt, who struggled in Wednesday’s loss. Beimel retired both Morgan and Harris, paving the way for Franklin Morales’ first save attempt since Sunday’s fiasco in Atlanta.
When Jason Maxwell reached in the ninth, Tracy talked with Morales, presumably about not balking, and the left-hander struck out Ian Desmond for the final out, pumping his fist in celebration.
Troy E. Renck: 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com.
