(Sports Network) - Even though he avoided a loss, Colorado Rockies ace Ubaldo Jimenez hopes to bounce back from his worst outing of the season when he takes the mound tonight in the opener of a three-game series against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park.
Ubaldo Seeks Return To Form Against Padres
Jimenez had won seven straight starts before posting a no-decision versus Boston last Wednesday in an 8-6 victory. He was pounded for six runs and 10 hits with seven strikeouts over 5 2/3 innings and remained at 13-1 in 15 starts while raising his earned run average from 1.15 to 1.60. Jimenez, who leads the majors in wins and ERA, will put his impressive road ledger to the test against San Diego.
The hard-throwing righty is 8-1 with an 0.80 earned run average in nine road tilts and beat the Padres back on May 3 at Petco Park with seven innings of one-run ball in a 5-2 triumph. Jimenez is 6-3 with a 3.38 ERA in 10 career starts against the Padres.
Colorado could use a strong mound presence tonight after losing two of three meetings with the LA Angels of Anaheim over the weekend and three of four games overall. It fell six games off San Diego's lead in the NL West following Sunday's 10-3 setback to the Halos, as Jhoulys Chacin was dealt the loss for giving up five runs -- two earned -- in six innings with 12 K's.
"Chacin pitched much better than his numbers indicated," said Rockies manager Jim Tracy. "He missed his pitches. In the fifth inning, he lost his fastball a little bit. He deserved better than what it turned out."
Ian Stewart homered, Carlos Gonzalez added three hits and Clint Barmes finished 2-for-4 with an RBI in defeat.
Meanwhile, the National League West-leading Padres just swept the Florida Marlins in three games down south and recorded the sweep with Sunday's 4-2 victory at Sun Life Stadium.
Will Venable hit a two-run homer and ended with three RBI, while Chase Headley knocked in a run for the Friars, who are 4 1/2 games ahead of second-place San Francisco in the division standings.
“There are still so many adjustments that need to be made,” Venable said of his game on the team’s website.
Padres starter Mat Latos went 5 2/3 innings and allowed one run on five hits. He also fanned five batters and walked four in a no-decision. Ryan Webb gave up one run on three hits in 1 1/3 innings of relief to pick up the win and Luke Gregerson recorded his first save of 2010 with two K's in the ninth.
San Diego, winners in six of their last seven games, will send Kevin Correia to the mound Monday for his 15th start of the season. Correia is just 1-4 with a 5.89 ERA in nine starts since a personal four-game winning streak and did not figure into the decision of a 5-4 win at Tampa Bay last Wednesday.
Correia allowed two runs in 5 1/3 innings against the Rays and is 5-5 with a 5.14 ERA in 14 starts this season. The right-hander lost to Colorado on May 3, when he yielded three runs in six innings of a 5-2 loss. He is 2-4 with a 4.31 ERA in 26 career games (9 starts) in this series.
Colorado has won four of six meetings with San Diego this summer after going 10-8 in the 2009 season series.
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