By Thom Henninger
Ubaldo Jimenez takes the mound on Tuesday night with a string of seven consecutive quality starts, and the only major league pitchers with longer active streaks are Adam Wainwright of the Cardinals (10) and Philadelphia’s Cliff Lee (8).
During this seven-start stretch, Jimenez is 4-1 with a 2.59 ERA and .187 opponent batting average. Four of those seven outings have come at home, including Wednesday’s eight shutout innings of three-hit ball in an 8-0 blanking of the Pirates.
After winning his last three starts — against the Reds, Cubs and Pirates — the 25-year-old right-hander has pushed his career record to one win above the .500 mark. More importantly, he has shown steady improvement in his first three seasons of regular work in the majors.
| Year | W-L | ERA | OSLG | K/9 IP | BB/9 IP |
| 2007 | 4-4 | 4.28 | .404 | 7.46 | 4.06 |
| 2008 | 12-12 | 3.99 | .348 | 7.79 | 4.67 |
| 2009 | 10-9 | 3.47 | .320 | 7.96 | 3.58 |
Jimenez’s strikeout rate has climbed steadily over this span. Although his walk rate ticked upward as well in 2008, he has put more distance between his strikeout and walk rates this season.
On Tuesday, Jimenez pitches in Washington, where he’ll attempt to cool off the red-hot Nationals. The Nats are on an 11-3 surge and have averaged nearly seven runs a game in their 11 victories.
Jimenez has tamed his hitter-friendly home, Coors Field, where he has been better in each of his three seasons. The difference is far less significant in 2009, as he’s 4-5 (3.60) away from home compared to 6-4 (3.31) at Coors. Still, his streak of consecutive quality starts faces a stern road test Tuesday night.
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