Rockies Host Cardinals in Pitchers Duel Thursday

Two of the best pitchers in baseball square off Thursday afternoon in Colorado. Ubaldo Jimenez and the Colorado Rockies play host to Chris Carpenter and the St. Louis Cardinals in a match-up of teams with 45-38 records.

Both of these squads are in similar situation in regards to the standings. The Cardinals are currently 2.5 games back of the surprising Reds who look as if they are not going to slow down anytime soon. Outside of Albert Pujols, the Cardinals are thin offensively. They rank 19th in baseball in runs batted in, and 16th in hits. Ironically, they ranked 18th in total offense a year ago, but still managed to win the N.L. Central by 7.5 games. They are currently on pace to have a similar record to the 91-71 mark they had in 2009. The difference this year is that there is a descent team in their division.

Pitching is the key to winning. St Louis has 2 of the best pitchers in the game with Carpenter and Wainwright. Carpenter is on pace for another stellar season as he is off to a 9-2 start. His 3.16 earned run average is solid even though it ranks third on his own team amongst starters. Jamie Garcia has a 2.10 ERA, and Wainwright’s is a 2.24. Nevertheless, Carpenter is still the ace of the staff and will need to bring his “A” game Thursday as he takes on Jimenez.

Ubaldo Jimenez is having one of the most remarkable seasons in recent memory. He on pace for 28 wins, and despite a rough last outing against San Francisco in which he allowed 7 earned runs, has a minuscule ERA of 2.27. Jimenez allowed the same amount of runs in Saturday’s game that he did in the entire months of April and May. Jimenez possesses strikeout capabilities with pinpoint accuracy. This is a devastating combination for opposing hitters. He will be looking for his league leading 15th win of the season as he makes his final start prior to the All Star break.

Many baseball predictions had the Cardinals finishing first in their division this year, but they have a tough task ahead of them as they have to chase down the Cincinnati Reds and their explosive line-up. The task at hand however, is to find a way to score against Ubaldo Jimenez!

Related posts:

1. Cardinals host Nationals in Pitcher’s Duel
2. Wainwright and Kershaw Square off in Pitchers Duel Wednesday Night
3. The Colorado Rockies need Jimenez to Finish Strong
4. Rockies hope to ride Jimenez to a Big Second Half
5. Braves and Mets Battle in N.L. East Pitchers Duel

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