Ubaldo Jimenez has pitched two great games in the past week but I’m not buying it and here is why.
Analysis: Ubaldo Jimenez has allowed just two earned runs in 13.2 innings of work over his last two starts. That still leaves Ubaldo’s ERA at 4.91 with an xFIP of 5.56. When Ubaldo was at his best he was a flamethrower with a bit of command, now it is just the opposite. Ubaldo’s average fastball is just 92.3 MPH, down 4 MPH from his 2009-2010 prime. The strikeouts are obviously down as well. This year he’s averaging 5.6K/9IP compared to over 8K/9IP over his last three seasons. His walk rate of 5.7BB/9IP is concerning as well, it’s second most in baseball among qualified pitchers. In year’s past he was walking just 3.7 batters per nine.
A few solid starts and a 6-4 record isn’t going to fool anyone here. His velocity is down, his strikeouts are down, his walks are sky high and he has yet to strike out eight batters in one game this year, something he did seven times last year in a down year.