Posts tagged ‘Ubaldo Jimenez’

I am Jack’s complete lack of surprise.

If you retain any skepticism that media East Coast bias has a stranglehold on baseball, take a look at how undeserving Atlanta Braves nudged worthy Colorado Rockies off the National League All-Star roster.

Regular all-star Brian McCann was selected over Rockies catcher/hero Miguel Olivo, despite Olivo producing better numbers in just about every category.  While you were reading that sentence, someone else just stole a base on McCann.  To borrow a phrase from John McEnroe: you McCannot be serious!

In the outfield, the fans embarrassed themselves by electing Jason Heyward as a starter for the NL squad.  Meanwhile, Carlos Gonzalez has thus far been passed over as a starter or reserve in the outfield.  Ridiculous.

Fortunately, baseball fans everywhere have a chance to partially redeem themselves by voting Carlos into the final spot on the roster.  It may surprise you that we at Rockiescast encourage everyone to vote early and often for CarGo.  So please Mohawk the vote here, and help baseball fans make the 2010 All-Star vote a little less humiliating.

Oh, and congratulations to Ubaldo Jimenez and Troy Tulowitzki for their well-earned All-Star selections.

With the Rockies 10-6 victory in San Diego on Monday night, Ubaldo Jimenez recorded his Major League-leading 14th win this season.

This makes only the 12th time in franchise history that a Rockies pitcher has reached the 14-win mark in an entire season. Kevin Ritz became the first Rockies pitcher to reach the mark with a 7-inning, 2-earned run performance in Pittsburgh’s scenic Three Rivers Stadium on September 2, 1996.

Ubaldo joins Jeff Francis as the only pitchers to reach the 14-win mark twice with the Rockies.  Ubaldo, however, is the only pitcher to have back-to-back 14-win seasons with the Rockies.  He finished 15-12 in 2009.  Francis went 14-12 in 2005 and a very satisfying 17-9 in 2007.

In our latest episode, in addition to our look ahead to the Nats series we discussed some creative fan support for the Nats in the form of the Nat Rider, a Washington Nationals decorated bicycle that a Nats Fan (one from a group of guys) will ride from a local DC bar to Nationals Park before the game.  If you would like to support some creative fans, have a love of all things remotely Hasselhoff related, or just have sympathy for some poor Nationals fans, go to the Nat Rider Facebook page and become a fan.

In honor of Ubaldo’s awesome no-hitter on Saturday, here are a few no-hitter historical facts:
- In addition to Ubaldo, 15 other pitchers have thrown no-hitters while allowing six or more walks. The record is ten walks in a ten-inning no-hitter thrown by Jim Maloney in 1965, resulting in a win for his Reds against the Cubs.
- Nolan Ryan holds the record with seven no-hitters. His first came in 1973. His final no-hitter came on May 1st, 1991 at the age of 44. That same day, Rickey Henderson broke Lou Brock’s career stolen base record and Rickey officially declared himself the greatest of all time.
- In my opinion, the most impressive no-hitter was thrown in 1991 when Jim Abbott achieved the feat despite being born without a right hand.
- On August 6, 1969, Ken Holtzman tossed a no-hitter for the Cubs without recording a single strikeout.
- In 1969, Bill Stoneman made his 5th career start. It was the Montreal Expos 9th game as a franchise. The Phillies could not hit him.
- Stoneman is one of the pitchers to walk more batters than Ubaldo during a no-hitter, walking seven in a 7-0 victory and no-hitter against the Mets. With the game played in Montreal, it was the first MLB no-hitter thrown outside of the United States.

The 2010 Rockies TV commercials are out!  It feels like Opening Day came early this year!  Okay, it’s not nearly that exciting, but it’s still the Rockies in uniform doing stuff.  After months sans baseball, that’s enough to get me bouncing off the walls like an 8-year-old on a sugar high.  Please have a look and tell us your impressions in the comments section.  Maybe my opinion will change once the giddiness wears off, but I am impressed with these ads (most of them, anyway).  They definitely have a different feel than previous seasons’ Rockies ads.  I think this year’s batch contains more situational, dialogue-based humor and fewer sight gags than previous ads.

Let me be clear though, I have no problem with sight gags.  My favorite of the 2009 Rockies ads is below.  Just look at the size of Aaron Cook’s hat!  It’s funny, because it’s bigger than a…you know…a normal hat.

Aaron Cook is on the mound lookin’ like the Cook of old
And Tulo’s got a bat you’d think was made of solid gold
Todd Helton’s got the goat again and he’s swingin’ like he means it
And EY’s running first to home so fast you barely see it
Yorvit has become Mr. Clutch, CarGonza’s bat goes “THUD!”
DLR is downright nasty and Ubaldo is a stud
It’s been a long, long season and the Rockies have fought hard
And now for all their effort they have clinched (at least) the Wild Card

Barmes with a crazy catch he maybe never made
Iannetta’s walk-off homer brought us a cheap taco day
Ian Stewart avoiding double plays, looking like an acrobat
Huston Street back to close games, how freakin’ sweet is that?
Now that we’ve clinched the Wild Card the journey doesn’t end
The Rockies still have one more important message left to send
The Wild Card is fine and good, but you know what would be best?
To bust out the brooms, sweep the boys in blue, and watch the Rockies take the west!

- Rockies win – Rox record improves to 33-33, hitting the .500 mark for the first time since being 4-4.

- Rockies win – Jim Tracy’s career managerial record evens up at 577-577.

- W for Ubaldo – brings his mark up to 6-6, the first time his record would hit .500 this season.

- W for Ubaldo – evens up his career mark at 22-22.  Appearing in 3 seasons prior to this one, Ubaldo has never finished a season with a winning or losing record. (0-0 in 2006, 4-4 in 2007, 12-12 in 2008)

- 4 total bases in 4 at-bats for Ian Stewart – brings his slugging % to .500.

- 7 total bases in 5 at-bats for BARMESSSSS! - brings his slugging % to .500.

- If Ubaldo can go deep into this game, pitching 129 innings while striking out 188 hitters, he’ll hit 500 career IP and K’s.

- Ubaldo goes the distance – Huston Street doesn’t have to come in to save the game, thus ensuring his record stays at 1-1.

By Ooooooh-baldo

When I step on the mound, I chop up hitters like bok choi

I got 127 pitches and a butcher boy

We just took 8 straight and we be feelin’ great

And foes be Ichirollin’ in from the Evergreen State

So now I’m takin’ the mound, I’m gonna dominate

And I be conquering hitters like Alexander the Great

When you be at the plate, I will intimidate

Have you feelin’ so nervous like you was on a blind date

To all the fans in the stands that had to pay at the gate

I’m gonna make all y’all love me cuz I ain’t no Bonnie Raitt.

I’m takin’ total control, like an Orwellian State

My stock be soarin’ higher than the unemployment rate.

When hitters step in the box, they best be sayin’ a prayer

Cuz my stuff be crazy nasty and it just ain’t fair

You may be havin’ girl problems cuz you got no hair

But if you baldo you should just pick up some Hair-Be-There

When I’m on the mound I be lookin’ to seek and destroy

And when I’m at the plate I’m busting out my quality decoy

I’m faking the bunt and then I’m driving in Troy

I got 127 pitches and a butcher boy.

127 pitches and a butcher boy

When I step on the mound, I chop up hitters like bok choi

I got 127 pitches and a butcher boy
Hit me