Ubaldo

September 14, 2013

He’s baaaaack.

For those of you that follow me on Twitter, you may have heard of several words that I’ve coined/used throughout this season in regards to Ubaldo Jimenez. For instance, when a pitcher averages over 20 pitches an inning, I like to say that his efficiency is downright “Ubaldian.” Additionally, whenever Ubaldo would throw up one of his clunker starts, I’d casually refer to the right-hander as “Ughbaldo.”

As of right now, however, all of those terms are retired. Permanently. What the man has done since the All-Star Break has been nothing short of astounding. Let’s take just a second and break it down. Remember his 2010 season, when he started the All-Star Game and garnered Cy Young and All-Star votes? Here’s his stat line from that season:

19-8 W-L, 2.88 ERA, 6.2 IP per start, 8.7 K/9, 3.7 BB/9

Now, here’s Ubaldo’s stat line since the 2013 All-Star break (tonight’s stats not included):

4-5 W-L, 1.94 ERA, 6.1 IP per start, 10.2 K/9, 3.6 BB/9

In other words, the guy the Indians thought they were trading for in 2011? The guy we all thought was gone forever? He’s back, and quite possibly better than ever.

Tonight, in Chicago, Ubaldo was brilliant again, going 8.1 innings and allowing only one run (a garbage time run technically allowed by CC Lee after Ubaldo ran out of gas), and the Indians continued their mastery of the White Sox in 2013 by winning 8-1 over the completely listless and disinterested South Siders. At some point tonight, while Ubaldo was making quick work of the White Sox, the STO booth (and I think all of the Indians fans watching) realized that if the Indians make the playoffs, it very well might be Ubaldo Jimenez on the mound in game 1.

Even more shocking than that realization has to be the realization that we’d all probably be okay with that scenario, too.

A lot of credit has to go to Mickey Callaway, but that is another post for another time.

In Other News:

-Aside from Ubaldo, the offense continued to hit well against a bad team. Lonnie Chisenhall has looked really good over the past two weeks, with an OPS over .800 and a BABIP of .250, suggesting he has been unlucky (if anything).

-I’m really sad Jose Ramirez can’t be on the postseason roster; his speed is a difference maker, and I hope he finds a nice role on the bench of this team going forward over the next few years. I don’t think he’ll ever hit tremendously at the big league level, but damn is he fun to watch when he’s on the bases.

-Paul Konerko should just retire. Right now. It’s painful watching him “run” and even worse to see him flail at pitches. He’s basically Jason Giambi at this point, but he plays every day to his team’s detriment. I just hope 2013 is not the way we remember Paulie, as he was a great part of a relatively fun rivalry throughout the first decade of this century.

-I wrote an article for another blog specifically about the AL Wild Card race. You can check that out here if you’re interested.

Good win tonight. If the Indians can take care of business tomorrow against Chris Sale and win two out of three in Kansas City, I have to imagine this team’s postseason odds will start to look more optimistic.

Go Tribe!

9 Comments

  • Seattle Stu says:

    if we go just 6-13 against detroit instead of 4-15 we’re 1 game out of the division…makes me sick!

  • shaun says:

    i was thinking about who would start the wc game before tonight and was thinking it would be kluber but i think jimenez has shown the consistency for us to trust him to start

  • Kevin says:

    52.9% chance of making the playoffs.@ESPN Texas and Tampa are tied. Cleveland 1.5 games back. Great stuff. LETS GO!

  • medfest says:

    Ubaldo was efficient!…holy cats!

  • Chris Burnham says:

    No more “Ubado!” 😀

  • Sean Porter says:

    I’m absolutely blown away that THIS guy is the same Ubaldo that was perhaps the most maddening starting pitcher I’ve ever seen wear the red and blue of the Tribe.

    A few months ago it was laughable to think the Indians would even consider exercising his option…. Now it’s questionable if Ubaldo would mutually exercise it with the Tribe. He might refuse the option year from the Indians and try his luck on the open market in an attempt for a multi-year deal. And he might just get one too… (Let me state again – if a team wants to throw a multi-year deal at him, let them knock themselves out. Just do not let it be the Indians.)

    If the Tribe gets in the WC play-in game, Jiminez could very well be the logical man to start. Let that sink in for a minute or 15. Wow.

  • Seattle Stu says:

    smells money and steps up….really surprising in today’s sportsworld.

  • Swift says:

    “A lot of credit has to go to Mickey Callaway, but that is another post for another time.”

    Mickey Callaway deserves Coach of the Year, and if there isn’t such an award, we need to make one.

  • Gvl Steve says:

    The effort has always been there for Ubaldo, not just this year because it’s potentially a walk year for him. It’s tempting to say he coasted in 2010 or 2011 and is only motivated now, but that’s just not true. He worked very hard to correct his mechanics and adjust to the drop in velocity that often comes when power pitchers turn 30. I hope he sees the good situation he’s in with the coaching staff, etc. and exercises that option. Putting together two solid years in a row will bring an even better deal in free agency in 2015 anyway, as it will prove this year wasn’t a fluke.