Ubaldo Jimenez has fewer flaws and more attention. He traded his laptop for an iPad. He doesn’t think twice about turning the clubhouse music to salsa. He has been featured in every publication but “Better Homes & Garden” over the last two months.
The Ubaldo Jimenez who pitched the Rockies to a 7-3 victory Wednesday night at Coors Field, their fourth straight win, is different from the gangly kid who signed as a teenager.
But there are there are parallels. He has the same desire, same passion. It’s just now he has direction. He knows where every one of his pitches is going, and where that might take the Rockies is a tempting proposition.
Jimenez is 9-1 with a 0.88 ERA this year. Since the expansion era began in 1961, the only other pitcher to win nine of his first 10 starts with an ERA under 1.00 was Hall of Famer Juan Marichal, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
Think about that for a minute.
Randy Johnson, Roger Clemens, Greg Maddux and Bob Gibson never pulled this off.
Jimenez is so dominant that even when he’s off, he’s on. He didn’t have his typical command against the Diamondbacks. There were more hard-hit balls through three innings than in any of his previous starts combined.
And yet, Arizona didn’t score against him in his eight innings, a testament to his remarkable talent.
“He’s the best pitcher in the game,” said manager Jim Tracy, who has posted a 98-64 record with the Rockies.
Tracy has warmed to the idea of effusively praising Jimenez after wondering if he was ready to lead the pitching staff over the winter. Now, the question isn’t whether he is an ace, it’s whether he’s the most valuable player in the National League.
A case can be made that nobody has been better through two months, especially since the Dodgers’ Andre Ethier landed on the disabled list.
