Major League Baseball

Jimenez pitches Rockies past D-backs

Published Apr. 8, 2009 7:27 a.m. ET

foxsports

Ubaldo Jimenez likes pitching in Arizona, and he finally has a victory to show for it.

Jimenez threw seven sparkling innings, Troy Tulowitzki homered for the second straight game and the Colorado Rockies beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 3-0 on Tuesday night.

Jimenez gave up four hits, struck out eight and walked three in his first career victory over Arizona. He was 0-1 in four previous starts against the Diamondbacks despite a 2.77 ERA and 30 strikeouts in 26 innings.

"I feel really good pitching out there," Jimenez said of Chase Field. "The weather is nice, and I'm able to throw all my pitches. Here I can throw my curve a lot."

Jimenez has given up three earned runs and struck out 23 in 20 2-3 innings at Chase Field. All of Arizona's runs came on a two-out, three-run drive by Miguel Montero in the seventh inning on Aug. 31, 2007, when Jimenez hit 100 mph on the stadium radar gun.

Jimenez struck out Montero on a 3-2 fastball with runners on first and second in the sixth inning Tuesday to preserve a 1-0 lead.

"You try to make him throw some pitches," Arizona manager Bob Melvin said. "Typically he'll walk some guys. He got his breaking ball over. When he's on, with that big arm, a lot of time that is the result you get.

"I saw 97s. I saw 98s. You try to make him get the ball down, because you are not going to do much with your bat up in the zone. He's a tough guy to get the bat on."

Manuel Corpas worked the eighth and Huston Street finished the five-hitter for his first save with the Rockies. Street was acquired in the offseason trade that sent Matt Holliday to the Oakland Athletics.

Dan Haren was almost as good as Jimenez, allowing one run and three hits over seven innings for Arizona. He struck out nine and walked none.

Haren was 3-0 against Colorado in 2008, when the Diamondbacks won all four of his starts against the Rockies and 15 of the 18 games overall between the two, including all six series.

"Manny did a great job in the eighth, and I did my job in the ninth," said Street, who played with Haren in Oakland. "Dan is one of the top-tier starters in the league."

Tulowitzki homered to left on Haren's first pitch in the fifth inning and Colorado added two more in the eighth. Clint Barmes doubled and scored on pinch-hitter Ian Stewart's single off Jon Rauch, and Todd Helton's two-out single off Doug Slaten made it 3-0.

Arizona's best scoring opportunity came in the second inning, when it loaded the bases with one out on singles by Conor Jackson and Mark Reynolds and a walk to Justin Upton. Jimenez got Haren to hit into an inning-ending double play.

Stephen Drew doubled in the sixth for Arizona's only extra-base hit and Jackson walked with two outs. But Jimenez fanned Montero to end the inning.

"He got into a really nice rhythm," Rockies manager Clint Hurdle said. "He gave us everything we needed."

Notes

Arizona beat Colorado 9-8 in Monday's opener. ... Drew went 2-for-3 with a walk. ... Arizona closer Chad Qualls missed the game to be with his wife for the birth of his first child, a son, Caiden Joseph.