Cardinals nip Rockies 1-0 in 11 innings, deny Jimenez’s try at 20th victory

Jimenez denied: Cards beat Rocks 1-0 in 11 innings

ST. LOUIS — Ubaldo Jimenez wound up a tough-luck 19-game winner, exiting his third attempt at 20 after working eight scoreless innings in the St. Louis Cardinals’ 1-0, 11-inning victory over the Colorado Rockies on Saturday.

Pedro Feliz scored the winning run from second when right fielder Ryan Spilborghs bobbled the ball for an error on Matt Holliday’s single, giving the Cardinals their fourth straight victory.

The Rockies lost for the 12th time in 13 games. Colorado was one game out of first in the NL West before the skid, and began the day eight games back.

Jimenez allowed three singles, two of them infield hits, and struck out 10 with two walks. The 26-year-old righty set a franchise record with 214 strikeouts, four more than Pedro Astacio in 1999, after reaching double figures for the fourth time this season.

Jimenez was 15-1 when he started the All-Star game, making him the NL’s first pitcher to win that many at the break since Greg Maddux had 15 in 1998. But he was 2-6 in his last 11 outings despite allowing three or fewer runs eight times and two or fewer five times.

The no-decision left Jimenez at 19-8 with a 2.88 ERA. He threw 116 pitches against the Cardinals, and the regular season ends Sunday.

Kyle Lohse allowed three hits in seven scoreless innings for St. Louis, his best showing by far and longest by an inning in nine appearances since coming off the 60-day disabled list. The right-hander has been bothered most of the last two seasons by a nerve injury in his right forearm after getting hit by a pitch in May 2009 and finished 4-8 with a 6.55 ERA.

Franklin Morales (0-4) walked Feliz as a pinch-hitter and Colby Rasmus before Holliday lined a single to right. Feliz stopped between second and third to make sure the ball dropped, but scored on a close play after the Rockies’ third error of the game.

Jason Motte (4-2) had two strikeouts and a walk in a scoreless 11th.

NOTES: Since going 4 for 4 on Sept. 29, Troy Tulowitzki is 1 for 11 and grounded into a double play with the bases loaded to end the 10th. Before the four-hit game he had been 0 for 13. … Stan Musial rode in a golf cart for a lap around the Busch Stadium warning track as part of the Cardinals’ campaign to have the 89-year-old Hall of Famer honored with the Presidential Freedom medal. Players from both teams lined up outside the dugouts and many shook hands with Musial. Fans waved cardboard Musial cutouts during the ceremony before the bottom of the sixth. … The Rockies’ Carlos Gonzalez missed the game with a swollen hand. … St. Louis rookie Jon Jay played three innings in right field but was lifted for a pinch-hitter in the 11th, staying at .300.