The Rockies have always felt that Ubaldo Jimenez was special. On Saturday night, he proved them right by taking his place in the club’s 18-year history.

Jimenez recorded the first no-hitter in Rockies’ history in a 4-0 victory over the Braves. He allowed no runs on no hits while striking out seven batters over a masterful 128-pitch effort. He did walk six batters, but something as trivial as that can easily be overlooked on such an amazing night. The 26-year-old flamethrower was so on that he even hit 98-mph on the radar gun in the ninth inning.

Perhaps what’s most impressive about Jimenez’s no-no is what team he accomplished the feat against. The Braves don’t have the Phillies’ lineup, but they’re not the Astros either. Jimmenez had to face Nate McLouth, Martin Prado, Chipper Jones and Brian McCann four times each, not too mention top prospect Jason Heyward three times. Entering Saturday’s game, McCann, Heyward and Prado were all hitting over .300, while Prado was even hitting over .440. Jimenez faced a couple of hot hitters and still managed to pitch nine hitless-innings.

All and all, it was a special night for a young man that will now be etched in Rockies history forever.

Catcher Yorvit Torrealba’s two-run homer helped the Rockies edge the Phillies 5-4 on Tuesday to even up the NLDS at one game apiece.

From MLB.com:

Ace Aaron Cook pitched five strong innings before turning the contest over to a bullpen that was constructed solidly, if on the run. Carlos Gonzalez had three hits (after two hits in the first game), Dexter Fowler drove in two runs on sacrifice flies, and Yorvit Torrealba knocked a two-run shot — his first home run in five months.

What it adds up to is a golden chance for the Rockies to add to an improbable story that started with them going 18-28 out of the gate and replacing manager Clint Hurdle with Jim Tracy. After escaping Philadelphia and its raucous crowds — 46,528, which topped Wednesday’s Citizens Bank Park record — with a split, the Rockies will be greeted by their own wild crowd at Coors Field on Saturday night and Sunday.

The Phils cracked Cook in the sixth when Shane Victorino and Chase Utley singled, and Ryan Howard doubled for one run. Jose Contreras replaced Cook, fanned Jayson Werth and gave up Raul Ibanez’s two-run single. Pedro Feliz singled, but Contreras worked Carlos Ruiz into a double-play grounder.

Ryan Spilborghs led off the seventh with a double, and would score on Fowler’s one-out fly ball. The Rockies missed a chance to add to the lead in the eighth, when Phils lefty reliever Antonio Bastardo fanned pinch-hitter Jason Giambi with the bases loaded to end the inning.
However, the Rockies’ bullpen kept the lead. Matt Belisle, who spent most of the season in the Minors but earned a playoff roster spot with a strong final three weeks, threw a perfect seventh. Rafael Betancourt, acquired from the Indians in July, gave up a Werth two-out homer in the eighth. But Franklin Morales, who also spent time in the Minors, ended the threat by coaxing an Ibanez grounder.

This was a huge win for the Rockies because they’ve played so well at home this year, and rather inconsistent on the road at times. To earn a split (especially in the second game) on the road was big, because now the momentum favors Colorado and puts pressure on Philadelphia to go cross-country and play well on the road.

Torrealba has been a nice role player over the years and it’s nice to see a guy that plays the game the right way get some recognition for his efforts. He’s a tough-nosed player and a fierce competitor. His play today no doubt lifted he and his team’s confidence.

Phillies’ starter Cliff Lee went the distance on Wednesday in Game 1 of Philadelphia’s 5-1 victory over the Rockies in the NLDS. Lee had a shutout heading into the ninth, but Troy Tulowitzki broke it up with a two-out double to score Colorado’s lone run.

Lee, making his postseason debut, allowed six hits in going the distance. He retired 16 consecutive batters until Garrett Atkins hit a two-out double in the seventh inning. He even became the first pitcher in Phillies history to steal a base in the postseason when he stole second base in the third inning.

Rockies right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez cruised through four innings before he struggled with his command.

Jimenez walked Jayson Werth to lead off the fifth inning. Raul Ibanez then ripped a 3-1 changeup into the right-field corner to score Werth to give the Phillies a 1-0 lead. Pedro Feliz’s fielder’s choice advanced Raul Ibanez to third, and Carlos Ruiz worked an eight-pitch at-bat, hitting a 3-2 slider for a single to give the Phils a 2-0 lead.

Jimenez finally got out of the inning, but not until he threw 35 pitches.

After getting to just one three-ball count in the first four innings, Jimenez had four in the fifth.

Jimenez’s problems continued in the sixth as he allowed a single to Utley, a double to Ryan Howard and a triple to Werth to give the Phillies a 4-0 lead. Rockies manager Jim Tracy pulled Jimenez for left-hander Joe Beimel to face Ibanez, who singled to right to score Werth to make it 5-0.

What a great addition the Phillies made at the trade deadline by acquiring Lee. He struggled a bit heading into the postseason, but he was incredible today. He has been well worth the compensation that Philadelphia had to part with to acquire him from Cleveland.

Out of all the postseason teams, only the Twins had a worse road record (38-43) than the Rockies (41-40). So it’s no surprise to see Colorado struggle in Philadelphia to start this series.

It’ll be interesting to see how Cole Hamels fairs tomorrow after posting a lackluster regular season in which he finished 10-11 with a 4.32 ERA. In his final outing before the playoffs, he lasted just three innings, giving up three runs and walking two in a loss. The Phillies need their former ace to give them a 2-0 advantage before this series shifts to Colorado on Saturday, where the Rockies have been practically lights out.

We are barreling toward the playoffs, which begin next week. But some of the races are not determined officially yet…namely, the Rockies have clinched a playoff berth but still have a shot at the division title. The Twins are hanging tough, having fended off elimination one more day. Other than that, the races are decided. Here are the final power rankings for the regular season…..

1. New York Yankees (102-58)—Absolutely no signs of slowing down, and that’s probably a good thing with the playoffs looming.

2. Los Angeles Angels (95-65)—Will this be the year the Angels finally break their playoff curse against the Red Sox?

3. Los Angeles Dodgers (93-67)—These guys have been playing mediocre ball since Manny came back, and now they are in danger of blowing the division lead.

4. Boston Red Sox (93-67)—The Sox seem to be able to beat up on everyone except the Yankees. And that could prove to be a problem in the next two weeks.

5. Philadelphia Phillies (92-68)—No matter who the closer is, this team has to like its chances with Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels going 1-2 in a short series.

6. St. Louis Cardinals (91-69)—Sometimes coasting to the division title makes a team complacent, and winning 4 of 10 games is complacent. Plus, the NL matchups are yet to be determined, so the Cards don’t know who their first opponent will be.

7. Colorado Rockies (92-68)—You don’t get as hot as the Rockies, who are 74-40 since Jim Tracy took over as manager. I mean, are you kidding me? I’d be really worried if I were any other team these guys might face in the postseason.

8. Detroit Tigers (85-75)—They’ve been in first place just about since day one, but the feisty Twins are making live miserable. Still, the Tigers have had to fight and that could give them momentum against the Yankees. Well, if they hang on to win the division.

9. Minnesota Twins (84-76)—They earn a spot here because they are still in the race.

10. San Francisco Giants (87-73)—Lots of promise this season, but couldn’t fend off a white hot Rockies team in the end.

With their 9-2 victory over the Brewers on Thursday, the Rockies clinched the NL Wild Card, eliminating the Braves. Aaron Cook pitched eight innings of one-run ball in the win.

Manager Jim Tracy actually has an interesting dilemma on his hands, because Colorado could still win the NL West. With the Dodgers losing four straight and only four of their last 10, the Rockies are only two games behind L.A. The two teams will start a three-game series today.

With a playoff berth already locked up, do the Rockies rest their starters and get ready for the postseason or does Tracy manage to win the division? Depending on how the Cardinals and Phillies finish up, Colorado could wind up having the best record in the NL with a sweep over the Dodgers this weekend. And that would be quite a feat considering at one point they were 20-32 and fired their manager.

It’ll be interesting to see how Tracy manages over the weekend. I would have to imagine that if a division title is in range for a club, they’d go for that. But the Rockies would have to sweep in order to win the West.

There are only eight days left in the regular season, barring any one-game playoffs, and aside from the AL Central, most races are all but over. The Red Sox have a chance to make up ground on the Yankees, but the Yanks have already clinched a playoff berth. Here are your power rankings this week….

1. New York Yankees (98-56)—If they sweep the Sox this weekend, the AL East race will officially be over. But both teams appear certainly headed to the big dance.

2. Los Angeles Dodgers (92-62)—Quietly moving up and close to clinching the NL West while their cross-town pals are struggling.

3. Boston Red Sox (91-62)—This team has got to be making the Yankees and their fans nervous, even if the Yanks have made the playoffs, because they just keep winning. But, see #1.

4. Los Angeles Angels (90-63)—It’s a good thing the Rangers are playing like crap, otherwise the Angels would be looking in the rear view mirror.

5. Philadelphia Phillies (89-64)—Getting hot as the weather cools down.

6. St. Louis Cardinals (89-65)—The magic number still at one.

7. Colorado Rockies (87-67)—Some days the Rockies look like they might catch the Dodgers, but lately they are trying to fend off the Braves and Giants for that wild card.

8. Detroit Tigers (82-71)—The Twins remain 2 games back, and the Tigers have not exactly set the world on fire the past month.

9. Atlanta Braves (83-70)—Bobby Cox’s teams never quit and they are hanging tough in the wild card race.

10. San Francisco Giants (82-72)—Now the clock is really ticking. The Cubs, of all teams, hurt the Giants’ chances badly again last night.

According to a report by MLB.com, Giants’ second baseman Freddy Sanchez needs to have surgery to repair a meniscus tear in his left knee.

San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy, however, is hopeful the procedure can be put off until the offseason and that the second baseman can still contribute to the team’s playoff drive after a few days of therapy.

“We’ll wait and see what happens in these next two games,” Bochy said prior to the finale of a three-game series here with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

So the club isn’t yet shutting down Sanchez for the remainder of a season that has 11 games remaining, even though the Giants took the field Wednesday night trailing Colorado by five games in the National League Wild Card standings.

Sanchez, who suffered the injury taking an awkward step on the infield in the bottom of the first inning of Monday night’s game, checked into the clubhouse Wednesday afternoon “limping pretty good,” according to Bochy.

Sanchez is hitting .284 since joining the Giants, but he certainly hasn’t made the impact that the club had hoped when they acquired the second baseman from Pittsburgh in exchange for Tim Alderson, one of the club’s top pitching prospects.

Sanchez just hasn’t been healthy enough to have an impact for the fading Giants, who are four games back of the Rockies in the NL Wild Card standings and essentially need a miracle over the next two weeks to make the postseason.

There has to be some within the Giants’ organization that are second guessing the trade for Sanchez, although hindsight is always 20/20.