A Hitless Rock Solid Recap

Rockies 4, Braves 0

What a night!

Winning Player: Ubaldo Jimenez

What more can I say that I didn't say during the game and over at Bugs & Cranks.

We have a very special right arm pitching for our favorite baseball team.  The way his strength, effectiveness, filth, intensity, focus and command build and improve as a game goes along is such a joy to watch.  If he were on pitch 200 in the 16th inning right now, I wouldn't be surprised if he took it to an even higher level.

I'm as full of hyperbole as the next baseball fan, so I'll go ahead and say he's one of the top 5 arms in the game right now.  And he may be closer to #1 than #5, but he's not better than Roy Halladay.  I'll get that out of the way.

His attitude even goes beyond his skill.  The person is more special than the pitcher.  His humble acceptance of Aaron Cook's passing of the Opening Day start torch is not something lost on me.  It may not mean much of anything to most, but it meant a lot for Aaron to do that, and it meant more to Ubaldo to have that honor.  That's a moment you know you're in good hands with your ace.  His head is screwed on properly.

Save: Dexter Fowler gets a save for his insane catch in the 7th inning.  The situation obviously makes it a little more special, but that catch could hold up under any circumstance.  Quality play.

Miguel Olivo also gets credit for calling the game.  I was critical of his lousy plate appearances tonight, but he really did call a quality game, and made some nice stops as well.  Much improved technique. I'm sure he'll be receiving the customary Rolex from Ubaldo as a show of appreciation.

And you know what I hope doesn't get overlooked about Ubaldo's performance?  His team really needed it.  The Rockies have been in this half-funk, half-daze for the better part of ten games and they needed something to snap them out of that.  I even pointed out in my preview today what this start meant to the team.  

When times are rough, who's the person you always turn to? Your ace in the hole, right? Well, thank God the Rockies actually have one of those, and they're going to need him to live up to the billing in full for the third straight outing.

He didn't live up to the billing in full... he went well beyond it.  If this doesn't kickstart a little momentum for the club, I don't know what will.  But for right now, I don't care about anything other than celebrating and honoring what we saw tonight.

Enjoy the moment, Rockies fans.  Very few can top it.

Enjoy the amazing pitcher we have in Ubaldo Jimenez.  He may our once in a lifetime Cy Young.

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Thoughts On Ubaldo Jimenez's No-Hitter (Rockies Review)