The fireworks show started early at Coors Field on Saturday night. And Ubaldo Jimenez watched it from, of all places, his masterpiece of real estate: the mound.
Jimenez allowed seven runs, all earned, in the third inning, matching his total through his first 11 starts, in an 11-8 loss to the San Francisco Giants.
The game closed the book on the first half of the Rockies’ season. Their 43-38 record is one game better than at this point last year, when they rallied in the second half to win the National League wild card.
Let the record show that their 81st game was one of their most frustrating. They scored eight runs for Jimenez but couldn’t put themselves in position to sweep the four-game series with a win this afternoon.
Jimenez is struggling, no doubt about it. He has pitched 17 2/3 innings in his last three starts, allowing 17 earned runs. He opened the season with 54 consecutive innings without allowing a home run but has served up one in each of those three starts.
He didn’t lose this game, as the Rockies rallied for four runs in the sixth to get him off the hook. But he did lose his composure after first-base umpire Paul Nauert called Aubrey Huff safe on a would-be double-play ball that would have ended the inning.
“I was really upset,” Jimenez said. “I thought I was out of the inning, and I had to get back on the mound. I was trying to overdo it after that, trying to strike everybody out.”
Rockies manager Jim Tracy argued the call but to no avail. Jimenez had allowed one run at that point but imploded to the tune of six more runs. By the time he walked off the mound, he had walked three, uncorked a wild pitch and served up a grand slam to Travis Ishikawa on a hanging splitter.
“They tell me the replay was inconclusive, but I personally thought the man was out at first base and the inning is down,” said Tracy. “But that’s neither here nor there. You don’t use that as an excuse.”
No, you throw strikes and work your way out of a jam, as Jimenez has done time and again in his dream season, which likely will lead to a start for the NL in the All-Star Game. But it didn’t happen this time.
Still, the Rockies didn’t have to lose. Jimenez lost his command, but Manuel Corpas lost the game. Adding to the Rockies’ frustration was the fact that Corpas wouldn’t have been on the mound if not for Matt Belisle’s heavy workload.
Belisle had gotten seven outs in the previous two games, and Tracy was determined not to use him. And so it was that Corpas allowed back-to-back-to- back hits to open the seventh as the Giants rallied to snap a seven-game losing streak.
Corpas was booed off the mound — and for good reason. His numbers in his last eight appearances: six innings, 17 hits, 14 earned runs.
So the Rockies hit the midway point five games over .500. Great? No. Remarkable? Yes.
They’ve had major injuries (Troy Tulowitzki, Huston Street, Jorge De La Rosa), lingering slumps (Todd Helton, Ian Stewart) and a tragedy of unspeakable sorrow (Keli McGregor). Yet through it all, the Rockies not only have persevered, but prospered.
“We’ve had a bizarre set of circumstances to overcome this year, both on the field and off,” Rockies general manager Dan O’Dowd said. “I still think our best baseball is ahead of us.”
Jim Armstrong: 303-954-1269 or jmarmstrong@denverpost.com
A bad night, but U-ball was in line for the W
Ubaldo Jimenez made his 17th start Saturday night. A look at his season compared to that of Bob Gibson and Denny McLain, who had historic seasons in 1968, the “Year of the Pitcher.” Gibson set the modern day ERA record, at 1.12, and McLain was the last to win 30 games.
START NO. 17
Jimenez Gibson McLain
Innings 6.0 9.0 9.0
Decision ND W W
ER 7 1 1
Hits/BB 5/4 9/2 3/2
Strikeouts 5 4 10
Thru 17 starts
14-1, 2.27 10-5, 1.13 12-2, 1.99
End of season
34 starts 41 starts
22-9, 1.12 31-6, 1.96
Gibson’s and McLain’s stats from
Looking ahead
Jason Hammel (6-3, 4.32 ERA) has been the Rockies’ second-best pitcher since coming off the disabled list in mid-May. He has exorcised his Coors Field demons — witness his 5-1, 3.31 home record vs. 1-2, 6.11 on the road. Last year it was 3-3, 5.73 at home, 7-5, 3.13 on the road. The Giants’ Matt Cain (6-7, 2.93) is struggling, having allowed 16 hits and 11 runs in his last 7 2/3 innings. Jim Armstrong, The Denver Post
Upcoming pitching matchups
TODAY: Giants at Rockies, 1:10 p.m., FSN
Monday: Off
Tuesday: Cardinals’ Jeff Suppan (0-4, 6.44 ERA) at Rockies’ Jeff Francis (2-3, 4.67), 6:40 p.m., FSN
Wednesday: Cardinals’ Blake Hawksworth (2-5, 5.02) at Rockies’ Aaron Cook (3-5, 4.66), 6:40 p.m., FSN
Thursday: Cardinals’ Chris Carpenter (9-2, 3.16) at Rockies’ Ubaldo Jimenez (14-1, 2.27), 1:10 p.m., FSN
