masn-baseballs-orioles.jpgLast year at the All-Star break, right-hander Ubaldo Jiménez was 5-9 with an ERA of 7.38. He pitched better after the break with an ERA of 2.82 that left his final season mark for 2016 at 5.44.
Jiménez pitched well in some important games for the Orioles late last year. But now, as the 33-year-old veteran is struggling badly again, can the Orioles wait and wonder if a turnaround will come this time?
Reporters have pointed out numerous times that Jiménez is a stand-up guy, never ducks…

Last year at the All-Star break, right-hander Ubaldo Jiménez was 5-9 with an ERA of 7.38. He pitched better after the break with an ERA of 2.82 that left his final season mark for 2016 at 5.44.

Jiménez pitched well in some important games for the Orioles late last year. But now, as the 33-year-old veteran is struggling badly again, can the Orioles wait and wonder if a turnaround will come this time?

Reporters have pointed out numerous times that Jiménez is a stand-up guy, never ducks questions when he pitches poorly and is universally respected and liked by his teammates.

But he is all of that while also not being good enough to stay in the rotation at this point, in my opinion. If being a quality guy could get him outs, Jiménez would be a 20-game winner. But they can’t.

jimenez-gray-fixing-hat-sidebar.jpgHe has not delivered in his performance on the field what the Orioles had hoped for when they signed him to a four-year, $50 million dollar deal in February 2014. These last two seasons have been particularly poor.

His ERA is 7.17 after he and the pitching staff blew leads of 5-0 and 6-2 in last night’s 14-7 loss to Minnesota. He could not get an out in the fifth inning, going four-plus allowing nine hits and six runs. He gave up five balls hit at 100 mph or more, including the last two hits he allowed. In eight starts this year, he has pitched 4 1/3 or less five times.

By not getting deep into games, his short outings not only hurt the club the night he pitches, but impact more than just one game for a bullpen that has been used too much this year.

The Orioles keep blowing leads and you have to wonder if that is going to have a cumulative impact on a team that is 1 1/2 games out of first place this morning.

The Orioles went 14-6 in their first 20 games this year and their team ERA was then at 3.41. But they are 11-12 over the last 23 games with a team ERA of 5.13 in that span.

Right-hander Alec Asher has pitched well enough to deserve a chance in the starting rotation. If not Asher, the club may have to look elsewhere for a Jiménez replacement.

Jiménez has been banished to the bullpen before. Is that the move to make now? Or does the club just cut ties with the right-hander and look to trade or release him? Would there even be a single taker for a pitcher with a salary of $13.5 million that is struggling this badly?

Jiménez has been given multiple chances over four seasons in Baltimore. But can the club afford to give him more chances to work it out this time?