Jimenez’s solid start isn’t enough
MINNEAPOLIS — On a night when the Orioles gambled with a rare start for Ubaldo Jimenez and were rewarded for their boldness, it was the bullpen that made this one-day trip to Minnesota fruitless.
The lead Jimenez left was quickly erased as the Minnesota Twins teed off on the bullpen in a 6-2 win Thursday night at Target Field. The Orioles (58-43) have lost three straight entering a weekend series with the Toronto Blue Jays.
In his first appearance since July 8, Jimenez turned in a solid outing. He struck out eight in five innings, walked three and gave up five hits but allowed just one run.
“He took a long All-Star break and pitched well,” manager Buck Showalter said. “Hewasexcited to get out there. I could tell he was a little strong early. I thought the split was good and he was crisp. ... We just didn’t get it done much after that and didn’t seize on some opportunities.”
Jimenez had been a drag on the pitching staff essentially since midApril, shuffling out of the rotation because of ineffectiveness and back into it out of necessity. Jimenez’s start in Minnesota came because he’s pitched well at Target Field.
The cameo was one Jimenez, who welcomed a baby with his wife this week and was booed off the mound at Camden Yards last time he got into a game, felt was important on many levels.
“I really needed it,” Jimenez said. “It felt great to be out there with my teammates. That’s what we play for, to be out there and try to compete and win every night. We didn’t get the win, and we’ll have to move on, but it felt really Orioles starter Ubaldo Jimenez struck out eight in five innings, walked three and allowed five hits but gave up only one run. good.”
Said Showalter: “He’s had a lot of good things happen in his life lately. It kind of gives you a chance to step back and realize the sky’s not always falling and live in a realistic world. He gave us a chance to win tonight, and I was proud of him.” Balancing bullpen: The underlying thinking that went into giving Jimenez a start — saving some of the Orioles’ young starters and conserving pitching for the remaining 61 games — hurt the club when it came time to go to the bullpen. Uncharacteristic struggles for Odrisamer Despaigne, who was charged with four runs on five hits in 11⁄ innings, compounded by a difficult night for Chaz Roe, saw a 2-1 lead turn into a 6-2 deficit.
Everyone in the bullpen was available, but with Toronto looming, Showalter stayed away from Darren O’Day, Brad Brach and Zach Britton.
“We’re trying to make sure everybody gets their rest and is available to pitch,” Showalter said. Leadoff homerun: For the second time in 16 games, center fielder Adam Jones homered on the first pitch. His leadoff homer Thursday staked the Orioles to a quick lead. Minnesota pitchers have allowed four first-pitch home runs in their past eight games. Costly outs: A pair of costly sends at third base prevented the Orioles from enjoying a big fourth inning. A leadoff single by first baseman Chris Davis and a double by right fielder Mark Trumbo put runners on second and third with no outs. But Davis was thrown out at home trying to score on a ground ball to third base, and Trumbo was erased at home on a single by designated hitter Pedro Alvarez to right field.
“We didn’t run out of anything,” Showalter said. “They made good plays. ... You take an opportunity to score like that anytime and you tip your hat to them when they throw him out.”
All told, the Orioles should have had more reward for their 11 hits. Alvarez had three hits, while Davis, Jones and shortstop J.J. Hardy each had two.
In addition to his two hits, including an RBI single that put the Orioles ahead in the fourth inning, Hardy made an over-the-shoulder basket catch, a la Willie Mays. Two innings later, Hardy ranged to his left for a nifty double play to get Despaigne out of a jam in the sixth. Since returning from the disabled list with a fractured foot, Hardy is batting .309 (38-for-123).