Jimenez dominates Cards as Rockies complete sweep

[July 09, 2010]  DENVER (AP) -- Ubaldo Jimenez became the first pitcher to reach 15 wins before the All-Star break in 10 years and the Colorado Rockies beat the St. Louis Cardinals 4-2 Thursday.

Jason Giambi went 4 for 4 with two RBIs and Dexter Fowler had two hits for the Rockies, who swept the three-game series.

Huston Street worked the ninth for his third save.

Jon Jay doubled twice for the Cardinals.

After struggling in his past three starts, Jimenez (15-1) was dominant over eight innings. He had one bad inning in each of those starts but he avoided that Thursday in becoming the first pitcher to have 15 wins at the All-Star break since Toronto's David Wells did it in 2000.

Jimenez allowed one run and three hits. He struck out six and walked one.

Jimenez surrendered a a one-out double to Colby Rasmus in the first inning and then retired the next 11 batters while his teammates built a lead off Cardinals starter Chris Carpenter (9-3).

The Rockies took a 2-0 lead in the first when Fowler and Jonathan Herrera led off with singles and scored on consecutive singles by Giambi and Brad Hawpe.

It was the first time in the series Colorado held the lead before the ninth inning.

Miguel Olivo made it 3-0 with a sacrifice fly to score Giambi in the third.

The Cardinals broke through in the fifth. Jay led off with a double, moved to third on a ground out and scored on Brendan Ryan's groundout to second.

The Rockies got the run back in the bottom of the fifth when Fowler led off with a double and scored on Giambi's third single of the game to make it 4-1.

That was all the Rockies needed off Carpenter, who gave up nine hits, struck out three and walked two in six innings.

The Cardinals threatened in the seventh when they had runners at the corner with one out but Yadier Molina grounded into an inning-ending double play.

The Cardinals got a run off Street in the ninth when Jay's two-out double drove in Albert Pujols.

NOTES: Giambi played in his 2,000th career game. ... Jay extended his hitting streak to eight games. ... Cardinals LHP Evan McLane is the second pitcher in 40 years to surrender a game-winning home run to the first major league batter he faced. McLane gave up Chris Iannetta's ninth-inning leadoff home run Wednesday night.

[Associated Press]

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