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Jimenez takes another crack at win No.1 in finale with Giants

May 17, 2011 - 2:43 PM (Sports Network) - A 19-game winner a year ago, Colorado Rockies ace Ubaldo Jimenez is still searching for his first victory of 2011. Jimenez will give it another shot tonight when the Rockies close out a quick series versus the San Francisco Giants at Coors Field.

Jimenez won a career-best 19 games a year ago (19-8), but is 0-3 with a 6.67 earned run average through his first six starts of this season. The hard- throwing Jimenez lost his most recent start in Thursday's 9-5 home setback to the New York Mets, allowing five runs in a season-low 3 2/3 innings.

The Dominican right-hander is 0-1 in two starts against the Giants this season and 5-6 with a 3.23 ERA in 16 career starts in this series. Jimenez was 2-1 in four starts against the Giants last season.

Colorado won for just the third time in 11 tries with Monday's 7-4 victory over the Giants and rallied for five runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. Seth Smith hit a solo homer and Carlos Gonzalez belted a three-run shot to highlight the big inning. Troy Tulowitzki had two RBI in the win.

"I was cheating on a breaking ball. It showed up and I took advantage," Gonzalez said of his home run off of Giants ace Tim Lincecum.

Clayton Mortensen posted his first win even though he gave up four runs and seven hits in six innings. Five relievers held the Giants in check the rest of the way, with Huston Street posting his 13th save with a scoreless ninth.

San Francisco's lead atop the National League West Division is now just a half-game ahead of the Rockies. It has lost two of three contests since a six- game winning streak and didn't get much from two-time NL Cy Young Award winner Lincecum last night.

Lincecum was shelled for seven runs -- three earned -- on nine hits and six walks over 5 2/3 innings, and was done in by the five-run sixth inning.

"It was just bad location," Lincecum said of the pitch he threw to CarGo. "In this kind of place, to that kind of hitter, [it was] not a really good pitch."

Andres Torres hit a solo homer and Nate Schierholtz later followed with a two- run blast in the top of the sixth inning for the Giants, who got three hits from Freddy Sanchez. Miguel Tejada had two hits and scored on a wild pitch.

Taking the mound for San Francisco on Tuesday will be lefty Jonathan Sanchez. He has won three of his last four decisions and improved to 3-2 on the season with last Wednesday's 4-3 triumph over Arizona in which he yielded three runs in six innings of work with seven strikeouts.

Sanchez, who's only 1-2 in four road starts this season, defeated Colorado on April 19 at Coors Field with 6 1/3 solid innings in a 6-3 win. He gave up three runs -- two earned -- with four walks and four K's. The southpaw is 4-4 with a 5.23 ERA in 19 career games (12 starts) against the Rockies.

San Francisco is 5-2 against the Rockies this season.