Ubaldo Jimenez used to be all the rage at Coors Field. This season, he’s been all the outrage.
Jimenez’s struggles in 2011 have been analyzed, documented and dissected. But there’s a simple fact that helps explain his problems: He hasn’t been the same pitcher at home. How low can a guy go in LoDo? How about 0-4 (7.67 ERA) in six starts?
Jimenez isn’t reading too much into it, but he’s tired of struggling in front of the home crowd. That’s why he’s excited to get to the ballpark today to pitch against the Dodgers in the series finale.
“It’s been a long time since they’ve seen me the way I’m supposed to pitch,” Jimenez said of Rockies fans. “I can’t wait.”
Jimenez’s excitement level is soaring along with his performance. In his last three road starts, he allowed two hits in a complete game at Milwaukee, shut out the Dodgers and allowed two tainted runs at San Diego. “I feel like I’m back,” Jimenez said. “I’ve been able to throw strikes, and down in the strike zone. I feel I’m going to be able to pitch like I did on the road. If I execute my pitches, I’ll get hitters out. It doesn’t matter where I’m pitching.”
Quote, unquote.
Jimenez, on the importance of the Rockies’ season-long 10-game homestand: “It’s going to say a lot. This is going to be like a test of whether we stay in the battle for the division or if we kind of drift away. We have to prove to everybody that this is our home, and we’re going to be tough to beat here.”
Day off for Helton.
One night after removing Todd Helton from the lineup for the ninth inning, Rockies manager Jim Tracy gave him a day off Saturday. Tracy said he considered moving Carlos Gonzalez back to the three hole for a day but didn’t want to disrupt CarGo after he collected seven hits the first two games of the Dodgers series. Tracy instead went with Jason Giambi, he of the six home runs in 44 at-bats.
“In making sure we give Todd a day, I just felt it was very important that we have another presence bat in our lineup,” Tracy said. “If the wrong pitch is made in the wrong direction, he’s (Giambi) in scoring position standing in the batter’s box.”
Footnote.
Seth Smith was out of Saturday’s lineup after fouling a ball off his right foot, so Eric Young Jr. made his first start in right field. Why no Ryan Spilborghs? He was 1-for-17 vs. Dodgers starter Ted Lilly.
