Jimenez dominates again, picks up fifteenth win
Today, there was no drama. No giant comebacks, no walk-off homers.
Just a typical day from Ubaldo Jimenez. Okay, so Ubaldo hadn't quite been himself in recent weeks, but today's game -- his last start before the All-Star break -- was a return to the previous form that allowed him to pick up fifteen wins before the All-Star Game. Jimenez allowed one run on three hits over eight innings, and a four-hit day by Jason Giambi erased any doubt about the game's outcome. It wasn't straight dominance all around, but it was good enough to get the Rockies a 4-2 win and a sweep over the Cardinals.
Whatever was wrong with Ubaldo in his previous three starts wasn't present today. The Cardinals simply couldn't come up with any offense; Ubaldo struck out six and induced eleven groundouts. Doubles by Jon Jay and Colby Rasmus -- and a base hit by Matt Holliday -- were the only blemishes on his day.
The offense was plenty good to back up Ubaldo's outing. Giambi had four hits, all singles, and drove in two runs; Brad Hawpe (getting his first start since June 30) and Dexter Fowler each had a pair of hits. More importantly, this was coming against a quality starting pitcher, as Chris Carpenter picked up only his third loss of the season.
The three-game sweep puts the Rockies 2.5 games behind San Diego for the lead in the West -- a deficit they can erase when the Padres come to town for a three-game weekend series.
Rockies Top Three
1. Ubaldo Jimenez: Back to his usual position on top of the list.
2. Jason Giambi: It's a testament to how little Giambi has actually played this season that a 4-for-4 day raised his average 31 points.
3. Dexter Fowler: 2-for-3 with a walk, a double, and a run scored, which is becoming pretty much a normal day at the office for Dex.
Just a typical day from Ubaldo Jimenez. Okay, so Ubaldo hadn't quite been himself in recent weeks, but today's game -- his last start before the All-Star break -- was a return to the previous form that allowed him to pick up fifteen wins before the All-Star Game. Jimenez allowed one run on three hits over eight innings, and a four-hit day by Jason Giambi erased any doubt about the game's outcome. It wasn't straight dominance all around, but it was good enough to get the Rockies a 4-2 win and a sweep over the Cardinals.
Whatever was wrong with Ubaldo in his previous three starts wasn't present today. The Cardinals simply couldn't come up with any offense; Ubaldo struck out six and induced eleven groundouts. Doubles by Jon Jay and Colby Rasmus -- and a base hit by Matt Holliday -- were the only blemishes on his day.
The offense was plenty good to back up Ubaldo's outing. Giambi had four hits, all singles, and drove in two runs; Brad Hawpe (getting his first start since June 30) and Dexter Fowler each had a pair of hits. More importantly, this was coming against a quality starting pitcher, as Chris Carpenter picked up only his third loss of the season.
The three-game sweep puts the Rockies 2.5 games behind San Diego for the lead in the West -- a deficit they can erase when the Padres come to town for a three-game weekend series.
Rockies Top Three
1. Ubaldo Jimenez: Back to his usual position on top of the list.
2. Jason Giambi: It's a testament to how little Giambi has actually played this season that a 4-for-4 day raised his average 31 points.
3. Dexter Fowler: 2-for-3 with a walk, a double, and a run scored, which is becoming pretty much a normal day at the office for Dex.
