There was a time not so long ago when Ubaldo Jimenez, like the rest of the baseball world, thought he had a chance to win 25 games.
“I had 15 wins at the all-star break and 15 more starts,” Jimenez said. “I was like, ‘Why not?’ “
Jimenez won’t be winning 25 games. And if he doesn’t win one of his next two starts, he won’t win 20, a prospect that seemed inconceivable two months ago.
His struggles since a meteoric 15-1 start include a current stretch in which he is 2-4 with a 4.57 ERA in his last seven starts. Since the break, he’s 4-6 with a 4.29 ERA compared to 15-1, 2.20 before he became the first Rockies pitcher ever to start the All-Star Game.
How is he hanging in there psychologically?
“All is good,” he said. “It’s really tough to be out there and not perform as well as everybody is expecting you to perform, but I don’t get down about it. It’s baseball. It’s a crazy game. Sometimes it gives you a lot of good things, and sometimes things go against you.”
Jimenez (19-7, 3.00) will face the Dodgers on Monday night in his final Coors Field start of the season. If he doesn’t win that game, he would have to win Saturday’s start against the Cardinals at Busch Stadium to become the first 20-game winner in franchise history.
Yes, Jimenez admitted, 20 has a nicer ring to it than 19.
“It’s not easy to get to 20,” he said. “I don’t want to feel like I was really close to it. When you get to 20, it’s a new level. But the only way I would be disappointed is if we don’t make it to the playoffs.
“If I don’t win 20 and we still make the playoffs, I’m going to be happy about it. But if we don’t make it and I don’t win 20, I’m going to be disappointed, especially the way I started the season.”
Said Jimenez, when asked if he had conceded the Cy Young Award to Philadelphia’s Roy Halladay, who leads the league lead in wins (20), innings pitched (241 2/3), shutouts (three) and complete games (eight): “I haven’t even thought about the Cy Young. He’s leading in so many things, so I don’t even think about it.”
Footnotes. Melvin Mora was back in the Rockies’ lineup after being removed after the fourth inning Friday night with a temperature of 102. Mora is expected to get a day off today, with Ian Stewart in line to make his first start since Aug. 25. . . .
Matt Cain, today’s Giants starter, when asked if he had issues with the humidor in the aftermath of Tim Lincecum being caught on camera cursing on the mound: “Nah, we’re good. It’s fine with me.” So he totally trusts the Rockies to use the same balls for both teams? “Why wouldn’t we?” . . .
Jim Armstrong: 303-954-1269 or jmarmstrong@denverpost.com
