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Rockies-Marlins Preview

Jul 18, 2010 - 10:33 PM By BRETT HUSTON STATS Writer

Colorado (49-41) at Florida (43-47), 7:10 p.m. EDT

The Florida Marlins won two of three upon returning from the All-Star break thanks to some outstanding pitching, which helped overcome some minimal contributions at the plate.

It's unlikely they'll be able to count on their lineup for much on Monday night.

Ubaldo Jimenez takes the mound at Sun Life Stadium for the first time since starting the All-Star game for the NL, and he'll be looking to build on a stellar pre-break performance that he hopes put his brief struggles to rest.

Jimenez (15-1, 2.20 ERA) was on pace for one of the great pitching seasons in major league history, but his 1.15 ERA on June 17 nearly doubled over his next three starts. He allowed 17 runs in 17 1-3 innings as his ERA jumped to 2.27, but closed the first half with a flourish.

The right-hander gave up a run and three hits over eight innings in a 4-2 win over St. Louis on July 8, then tossed two scoreless innings in Tuesday's Midsummer Classic to show he's ready to give the Rockies (50-41) another second-half boost.

"My arm is going to be really fresh," said Jimenez, the first pitcher with 15 wins at the break since Toronto's David Wells in 2000. "I'll be ready to go."

Jimenez has been at his best on the road, where he has a 1.23 ERA in 10 starts, and a win Monday would be his career-high 16th.

He's faced the Marlins (44-47) just twice, and an Aug. 1, 2008, outing at then-named Dolphin Stadium was his most recent in the series. He held Florida to two hits over seven scoreless innings in a 5-2 victory.

The Marlins' pulled off a difficult feat over the weekend by winning a series in which they scored a total of three runs. Florida bounced back from Friday's 4-0 loss to Washington with 2-0 and 1-0 victories, with Gaby Sanchez's fifth-inning RBI double accounting for the only run Sunday.

"Coming out of the All-Star break, the bats may be a little bit behind," manager Edwin Rodriguez said.

A big part of the Marlins' offensive drought can be attributed to Hanley Ramirez's downturn. The three-time All-Star doesn't have an RBI or an extra-base hit in nine consecutive games.

The Rockies only managed four runs in their return from the break while losing two of three in Cincinnati. Like the Marlins' win, though, all it took was one run to avoid a sweep Sunday as Chris Iannetta's sixth-inning home run held up.

Colorado will try to get its offense untracked against Anibal Sanchez (7-6, 3.66), who went into the break after his shortest outing of the season. Sanchez gave up six runs and nine hits in just four innings of a 10-4 loss at Arizona on July 8.

"It was a bad outing," Sanchez said. "I lost my command and didn't make the pitches I had to."

Sanchez lasted 5 2-3 innings and allowed two runs in his only start against Colorado - a 12-2 win on July 31, 2008 - and has reason to be confident Monday. He's 3-1 with a 1.69 ERA in his last five home outings.