30 Ubaldo Jimenez, SP

Indians starter Ubaldo Jimenez was hit hard Wednesday at home against the Tigers. Jimenez gave up two runs in the first inning and four in the the third and was done after four innings. 

Jimenez (3-3) took the loss as he allowed six earned runs on seven hits and three walks. He threw 96 pitches, 58 for strikes, and struck out three. His ERA is 6.04.

He had given up two or fewer runs in four-straight outings, winning three of them, before Wednesday. He does have 47 Ks over 44 2/3 innings. He'll look to bounce back Monday at Cincinnati.

Fantasy owners are starting to trust Ubaldo Jimenez once again, as he has reeled off four straight starts in which he's allowed no more than two earned runs on the way to a 1.90 ERA over that span. Three straight games for the Indians with eight or more strikeouts have just deepened the intrigue.

Jimenez is still not getting swings and misses like he did earlier in his career, but he is getting more called strikes, especially on his slider. Perhaps it's not a coincidence that, according to FanGraphs.com, Jimenez is getting first pitch strikes at his highest rate in three seasons, and he's throwing his slider more often on first pitches, per BrooksBaseball.net.

It's still a short-term trend, so Fantasy owners shouldn't put too much stock in it, and hitters could always make adjustments. Especially since Jimenez isn't going deep into games consistently, I wouldn't feel safe starting him in standard mixed leagues yet, but it's worth seeing how he fares in his next couple of starts.

Indians pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez enjoyed another solid performance but settled for a no-decision Friday night against the Mariners.

Jimenez, who made his eighth start of the season, served up a solo home run to Kendrys Morales in the fourth. The right-hander was charged with two runs and seven hits over five innings of work. He struck out seven and walked two in a 6-3 victory in extras.

Jimenez has struck out at least seven in each of his last four starts. He has allowed five runs over 23 2/3 innings over that span. The 29-year-old is scheduled to make his next start Wednesday at home against the Tigers. He allowed one run and three hits over six innings of work in his previous meeting against Detroit on May 11.

In his last three starts, Indians pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez has given up just three earned runs and has secured victories in all three outings. His recent success has made Jimenez a regular on the most added list, but should that be enough to earn your Fantasy faith?

Al Melchior said on Thursday’s episode of Fantasy Baseball Today that he is selling a total Jimenez turnaround, citing his last three seasons as too perplexing to buy into. Melchior said he’d rather have Scott Kazmir, but Nando Di Fino disagreed, saying he’d take Jimenez because they provide a similar level of risk.

Indians pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez (3-2) outdueled Tigers ace Justin Verlander and pushed his winning streak to three games during a 7-6 victory over Detroit on Saturday night. He surrendered just one run on a solo Jhonny Peralta homer in the third inning and two other hits over six innings for his third win.

Jimenez's previous three-start winning streak was in July 2011, less than a month before the trade to Cleveland. He walked only one batter and struck out eight for the second straight game.

"I think it's all about my mechanics," the right-hander said. "I think the last three games I've been able to repeat my mechanics with every pitch."

Jimenez is projected to take the hill again Friday against Seattle. He holds a 12.34 ERA and 1-2 record in three starts at home this season.