Colorado Rockies: Ubaldo Jimenez endures rough outing against Dodgers

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Ubaldo Jimenez is trying to crack the 2020 Colorado Rockies rotation, but Saturday’s start against the Los Angeles Dodgers was anything but a positive step toward that goal.

The only Colorado Rockies pitcher to throw a no-hitter and start the All-Star Game, Ubaldo Jimenez struggled mightily against the Dodgers on Saturday afternoon. The veteran right-hander allowed five runs on three hits while walking one and hitting a pair of batters in the first inning as Los Angeles jumped on him quickly.

After opening the frame by issuing a walk to Gavin Lux, Jimenez struck out Max Muncy. However, during Muncy’s at-bat, Jimenez uncorked a wild pitch and, teamed with an errant throw to second from catcher Tony Wolters, allowed Lux to move from first to third.

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The floodgates opened with the next batter, Cody Bellinger, striking out but reaching first on a passed ball by Wolters, scoring Lux. Jimenez would then give up consecutive singles and another walk as the Dodgers poured it on.

Muncy got his revenge against Jimenez in the second inning, crushing an 0-2 pitch over the left field wall to extend the Los Angeles lead to 6-0.

That would be the next-to-last pitcher faced by Jimenez, who was pulled from the game after giving up a one-out single to Taylor. His final line: 1.1 innings pitched, five hits, seven runs (three earned), a walk, two strikeouts and two hit batters.

The Dodgers would go on to win the game, 7-1.

After the game, however, the 36-year-old Jimenez tried to focus on the positives.

“I hit two guys with two strikes and that hurt,” he said. “Of course it was disappointing. I was supposed to go four innings or so but I couldn’t. But it’s part of the game. There’s nothing I can do with it right now. I have to learn from the mistakes I did and get ready for the next one.”

Jimenez was also happy with the movement of his pitches, even on the pitch to Bellinger that went for a strikeout and passed ball.

“Some of the breaking balls were good and the splitter was good,” Jimenez said. “I made a really good pitch. That thing (splitter) just dropped from the table. That pitch moved way too much, but that’s part of the game.

“The fastball and the splitter, most of them were good.”