But heading into Wednesday night’s game in Denver, the Red Sox get set to face a 26-year-old who has universally been acclaimed as the best pitcher in baseball in 2010.
That’s because Ubaldo Jimenez, whose 13-1 record and 1.15 ERA rank best in the major leagues, will be on the mound making his 15th start of the season for the Rockies on Wednesday night.
With a win against the Minnesota Twins in his last start, Jimenez became the first pitcher since Boston’s Roger Clemens in 1986 to win 13 games in his first 14 starts.
Jimenez has absolutely dominated on the hill in 2010, baffling hitters with his 99-mph fastball, fall-off-the-table slider and a devastating changeup to top it off. He threw a no-hitter against the Braves in Atlanta on April 17, and defeated two-time defending National League Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum with a four-hit shutout on May 31.
More importantly, he’s thrown a quality start — at least six innings with no more than three earned runs — in each of his first 14 outings. But if there’s one thing Jimenez has been susceptible to, it’s high pitch counts. The right-hander ranks seventh-worst in the National League amongst pitchers with at least 60 innings pitched with 4.03 pitches per plate appearances. Jimenez also ranks 12th highest in the NL with 36 walks.
And while that isn’t exactly a glaring hole in Jimenez’s scouting report, it is something the Red Sox could take advantage of.
Boston has six players — David Ortiz (second), Dustin Pedroia (fifth), Kevin Youkilis (seventh), J.D. Drew (18th), Victor Martinez (21st) and Marco Scutaro (28th) — who rank in the top 30 in pitches per plate appearance in the AL heading into the series.
That kind of patience could force Jimenez, who is already averaging a little over 110 pitches per game this year, to get out of his comfort zone late in the ballgame, and possibly be pulled for relief help.
And even though the Colorado bullpen ranks ninth in the majors with a 3.50 ERA heading into the series, none of their relievers have the ability to shut down an offense like Jimenez can.
So even if the Red Sox can’t muster up a lot of offense against Jimenez on Wednesday night, don’t be surprised if the right-hander exits the game earlier than usual.
