O's game blog: Ubaldo Jimenez on mound as O's look to avoid Seattle sweep

SEATTLE - After coming out of a brutal stretch where he pitched to an ERA of 11.47 over seven starts, Orioles right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez (5-7, 6.63 ERA) has pitched well in back-to-back games.

Does he make it three in a row today at Safeco Field?

An O's rotation that has pitched to an ERA of 6.43 its last 15 games could stand to use a good outing as the Orioles look to avoid the four-game sweep at Safeco Field.

Both of his last two starts came against the San Diego Padres and Jimenez went 2-0 with a 2.45 ERA. Over 11 innings he gave up seven hits and three runs with eight walks and 12 strikeouts. In the two games that preceeded those starts he allowed 10 runs over 2 2/3 innings against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Orioles manager Buck Showalter said he appreciates that Jimenez has kept an even keel and calm demeanor this year through several ups and downs.

"I think that comes from experience," Showalter said. "When we were talking about (acquiring) him, Jim Tracy (former Colorado manager) said 'You've got to understand. For two years, this guy was the best pitcher I'd ever seen, ever in baseball.' He said he was that good.

"Think about when you've been on the top of the mountain and then you're kind of at the bottom and then you're somewhere in between, it takes a lot of mental toughness to go through that. None of us are carrying the same bullets we were at 25, 26. But he never quits competing. I think he has a grip on reality."

In six road starts in 2016, he is 1-5 with an 8.37 ERA and a .333 batting average against. Jimenez has allowed five runs or more in seven of his last 10 outings overall.

His mound opponent today is Japanese right-hander Hisashi Iwakuma (7-6, 4.34 ERA) who is making his 17th start. When Iwakuma last faced the Orioles he pitched a no-hitter against them on Aug. 12, 2015. It was the seventh no-hitter against the Orioles in team history and Seattle's first since Felix Hernandez pitched a perfect game on Aug. 15, 2012.

Iwakuma walked three and fanned seven, throwing 116 pitches in the no-hitter. The last time the O's had been no-hit was Sept. 1, 2007 by Boston's Clay Buchholz.

The 35-year-old Iwakuma has pitched to an ERA of 5.40 his past three starts. In seven home starts, he is 4-2 with a 4.80 ERA. Left-handed batters hit .319 off him and right-handed batters hit .249 against him.

For the Orioles today they reach the halfway mark with Game 81 of the 2016 season. They begin play at 47-33 and leading the AL East by four games over Boston and by 4 1/2 over Toronto.