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Jimenez could be key linchpin of rotation
- Updated: September 22, 2016
BALTIMORE — The Orioles looked for starting pitching all offseason. They looked for starting pitching in the weeks and days leading up to the non-waiver Trade Deadline. With the start of the postseason looming in less than two weeks, they’re looking for — all together now — starting pitching.
After searching all the usual places, would you believe they may just have found what they’re looking for in a guy who, until just a few weeks ago, was pitching long relief out of their own bullpen?
Ubaldo Jimenez received a standing ovation from the Oriole Park at Camden Yards crowd Wednesday night when he walked off the mound in the sixth inning after shutting out the first-place Red Sox for 5 1/3 innings.
As it turned out, that wasn’t enough to get the Orioles a much-needed victory. The cheering stopped abruptly when the red-hot Sox scored five unearned runs after he departed, including the two inherited runners he left behind.
The Red Sox won their seventh straight, 5-1, to all but wrap up the American League East title. The Orioles have lost the first three games of the series with the finale set for Thursday night, but they still control their own destiny in the AL Wild Card race.
And the fact that Jimenez was once again so effective (four singles, eight strikeouts to go along with four walks) could end up being a bigger picture bonus for the O’s.
“He pitched well,” manager Buck Showalter said. “He was solid.”
If the season ended now, Baltimore would play on. The Orioles would be in the AL Wild Card Game on Oct. 4. And if they nail down a berth early enough to set up their rotation, they can start Chris Tillman in the sudden-death match and feel good about it. If they win that game, they could start Kevin Gausman in the AL Division Series opener and like their chances in that one, too.
To play deep …
