Turns out there is something more difficult than hitting Ubaldo Jimenez. Try following him in the Rockies’ rotation.
Jason Hammel and Jeff Francis have that distinction, with Hammel directly behind Jimenez and Francis a day later. Here’s how the conversation has gone in the dugout as the two have watched Jimenez terrorize National League hitters:
“Jeff was like, ‘How am I supposed to follow this?’ ” Hammel said. “I said, ‘Well, how am I supposed to follow that?’ It’s kind of been a little joke going around.”
Let the record show that Jimenez, for all his greatness, isn’t the Rockies’ only starter having success this season. Hammel was brilliant for the second straight outing Monday night, pitching 7 1/3 shutout innings in a 5-1 win over the Houston Astros.
Hammel’s season has been a tale of two pitchers — the one who suffered in anguish in April, when he was 0-2 with a 9.16 ERA after four starts, and the one who has been lights out since coming off the disabled list in May.
Numbers? You want numbers? Hammel struck out 13 and walked eight over 18 2/3 innings in those first four starts. Since then, he’s 3-1, 3.00 in five starts, with 29 strikeouts and six walks in 33 innings.
The Astros were tied with Arizona for the worst record in the National League, but had won six of 10 games. They advanced one runner to third base against Hammel, who retired a hitter in the eighth inning for the first time this season.
So what has been the difference between April and his post-DL outings?
“April was a fluke,” Hammel said. “Every once in a while, you have a bad run. The telltale story is how you answer that. I think we’re doing a good job of righting the ship personally and team-wise.”
Of course, it helps to get a few timely hits. The Rockies didn’t do much of that on their six-game roadie to San Francisco and Arizona, finishing the trip with one hit in their last 17 at-bats with runners in scoring position.
So what happens Monday night? Clint Barmes, hitting .197 at Coors Field, steps to the plate in the second inning and hammers a letter-high Wandy Rodriguez fastball to deep left field for a two-run double.
Barmes, in the postgame words of his manager, Jim Tracy, “is as good a fielding second baseman as there is in the game. Period.” Not only that, he has displayed a remarkable ability to get the most out of relatively few hits.
He drove in four of the Rockies’ seven runs in their series victory at San Francisco. His two RBIs against Houston gave him 28, putting him on pace for 80. That’s no easy feat with a .219 batting average.
“It’s definitely a step in the right direction,” Barmes said. “Obviously, I’ll take driving in runs over average any time. You want to help the team and, for whatever reason, I’m the one who’s been in position to drive in runs lately.”
Jim Armstrong: 303-954-1269 or jmarmstrong@denverpost.com
Looking ahead
TODAY: Astros at Rockies, 6:40 p.m., FSN
Jeff Francis (1-2, 3.70 ERA) has thrown well after a 20-month layoff, but needs his pinpoint control to be successful. Carlos Lee vs. Francis: 3-for-7, one homer, five RBIs. Brian Moehler (0-2, 6.49) will be making his third start. He needs to control his off-speed stuff because his fastball is typically in the high-80s.
Jim Armstrong, The Denver Post
Upcoming pitching matchups
Wednesday: Astros’ Felipe Paulino (1-7, 4.01 ERA) at Rockies’ Aaron Cook (2-3, 5.00), 6:40 p.m., FSN
Thursday: Astros’ Roy Oswalt (3-8, 3.22) at Rockies’ Jhoulys Chacin (3-4, 3.77), 1:10 p.m., FSN
Friday: Blue Jays’ Ricky Romero (5-2, 3.06) at Rockies’ Ubaldo Jimenez (11-1, 0.93), 7:10 p.m., FSN
Saturday: Blue Jays’ Brandon Morrow (4-4, 5.48) at Rockies’ Jason Hammel (3-3, 5.23), 6:10 p.m., FSN
