Ubaldo Jimenez turns in just enough strong starts to make fans hope they may finally be getting the top-of-the-rotation starter the Indians thought they were trading for in the middle of last season, but instead he continues to be somewhere between “enigma” and “really bad pitcher.”
After his latest clunker versus the Rays yesterday his ERA is up to 5.24 on the season. Toss in his 5.10 ERA in 11 starts for Cleveland following the trade from Colorado last July and Jimenez has the following totals with the Indians:
30 starts, 5.18 ERA, 175 innings, 146 strikeouts, 94 walks, 24 homers allowed.
Jimenez was amazing in the first half of 2010, going 15-1 with a 2.20 ERA, but since then he’s started 66 games with a 4.63 ERA and seems to be getting further from his one-time ace potential as his strikeouts fall, his walks rise, and miles per hour remain missing from his fastball. Jimenez’s average fastball clocked in at 96.1 mph in 2009 and 2010, but fell to 93.5 mph last year and 92.5 mph this year.
