PHILADELPHIA — OK, let the hand-wringing commence. It’s one thing for the Rockies not to hit — they have been streaky all season. But now Ubaldo Jimenez can’t pitch.
Technically, that’s not true. He can pitch — just not like an ace. In a nationally televised game Saturday, and with his team desperate for a lift, Jimenez shrank in the moment. He was gone before the first cheesesteak was devoured, pummeled during the Rockies’ 10-2 loss to the Phillies in rain-forest humidity.
Given the time, the place and the ugly nature of this trip, Jimenez picked the worst possible time to deliver his worst performance of the season.
“It’s really disappointing,” Jimenez said after his two-inning outing.
His ineffectiveness was jarring, his lack of fastball command alarming. Everything unraveled in an ugly seven-run third inning, tying an opponent’s high against the Rockies this year.
The first six batters reached against Jimenez, four on walks. He became a sports cliche — the harder he tried, the worse the results became in the Rockies’ fourth consecutive loss.
Over his first 17 starts, he went 13-1 with a 1.15 ERA — an unsustainable level of excellence for anyone, let alone a pitcher who has never won more than 15 games. In his last six starts, he’s 2-1 with a 7.64 ERA.
“The bad thing is that this has happened more than a few times lately,” Jimenez said. “I have to keep working hard.”
Phillies all-star Ryan Howard delivered the crowbar to the shins, a three-run triple down the right-field line. He crushed a 97 mph fastball on a 3-1 count. It was a vivid example of what happens when a pitch is elevated and the hitter knows it’s coming.
“Unfortunately, we aren’t playing worth a (darn) right now. But we are still in a wonderful position (in the playoff race),” Rockies manager Jim Tracy said. “We know how to fix this. We have done it before.”
A logical explanation exists for Jimenez’s slump: a flawed delivery. According to catcher Chris Iannetta, Jimenez wasn’t standing tall in his delivery; rather, bending his back leg too much, too soon. It led him to throw uphill and fly open with his left shoulder. He finished with just 28 strikes in 65 pitches. His previous shortest outing came last week against the Florida Marlins at 5 1/3 innings.
“It’s something he can easily correct,” Iannetta said.
If nothing else, it’s time to shift focus away from the Cy Young Award talk and the Bob Gibson comparisons. The Rockies don’t need Jimenez to make history. They just need reliability.
There are signs that the burden of carrying the team is affecting him, even as he insists it’s not.
Earlier in the season, Jimenez was content to rely on his sinker to induce groundballs. During his month-long funk, he has attempted to throw fastballs past hitters who are exercising extreme patience.
“My expectations are the same. I am not putting anymore pressure on myself,” Jimenez said.
Troubling in the loss was that it represented such a favorable matchup. Kyle Kendrick is the type of starter that hitters should get fat against. Instead, the Rockies’ offensive issues continued on this 2-7 trip. They are hitting .197 and have scored two runs or fewer six times.
“Some of the frustration is catching up with us,” Tracy said, “but we can get through this.”
Troy E. Renck: 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com
Jimenez shifts to back seat of pace car
Rockies ace Ubaldo Jimenez made his 20th start of the season Saturday. A look at his season compared with 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. 20
Jimenez Gibson McLain
Innings 2.0 9.0 9.0
Decision L W W
ER 6 0 1
Hits/BB 3/6 7/0 4/2
Strikeouts 2 13 10
Thru 20 starts
15-2, 2.75 13-5, 1.01 15-2, 1.99
End of season
34 starts 41 starts
22-9, 1.12 31-6, 1.96
Gibson and McLain statistics from
Looking ahead
TODAY: Rockies at Phillies, 11:35 a.m., FSN/TBS, KOA
Rockies left-hander Jeff Francis (3-3, 4.63 ERA) made a statement in his last outing, holding the Marlins scoreless for seven innings. He commanded his fastball on both sides of the plate, going in repeatedly to right-handers. More impressively, the bite on his curveball reappeared. But Francis never has pitched particularly well at Citizens Bank Park or against the Phillies (7.59 ERA) anywhere. Jimmy Rollins is 5-for-9 vs. Francis. J.A. Happ (1-0, 0.00), one of baseball’s best rookies last season, has been toiling in the minors because of an arm injury. The Rockies hit him hard in the 2009 playoffs. Troy E. Renck, The Denver Post
Upcoming pitching matchups
Monday: Rockies’ Jason Hammel (7-5, 4.23 ERA) at Phillies’ Joe Blanton (3-6, 6.03), 11:05 a.m., FSN
Tuesday: Pirates’ Zach Duke (4-9, 5.22) at Rockies’ Jorge De La Rosa (3-2, 5.65), 6:40 p.m., FSN
Wednesday: Pirates’ Ross Ohlendorf (1-8, 4.39) at Rockies’ Aaron Cook (4-6, 4.78), 6:40 p.m., FSN
Thursday: Pirates’ Paul Maholm (6-8, 4.13) at Rockies’ Ubaldo Jimenez (15-2, 2.75), 1:10 p.m., FSN
