Last night, Ubaldo Jimenez made his first start of the 2015 season after a somewhat encouraging spring in which he posted a 4.44 ERA in seven starts while working on his mechanics and a tweaked delivery.
The outing was quite impressive, to say the least. He pitched seven strong innings, allowing only one single to Jose Reyes. The hit was a sinking liner to left field that Alejandro De Aza seemed to misplay. Had De Aza gotten a better jump on the ball, I think he could have made a sliding catch and kept Ubaldo’s no-hit bid alive. Instead, he fell a few feet short.
Aside from the one hit allowed, Ubaldo walked only one batter (also Reyes) and struck out eight, turning in easily one of his best starts as an Oriole. The last thing I want to do is jump the gun, especially considering I wrote an article the other day on avoiding overreactions, but there is a chance we could see a much better Ubaldo this season than we did last year.
I beg of you, Orioles fans, allow yourself to consider that maybe Ubaldo’s $50 million contract is not a total waste of money. Sure, he was bad last season, but we are entering only the second of four years with him. He certainly has the potential to turn a corner and win back the hearts of O’s fans.
Now, I am most definitely not saying or implying that he will return to his old ways and finish in the top three of Cy Young voting again. I am also not saying that every start he makes this season will be like his season debut. His mechanics and delivery are too inconsistent for my liking.
That said, give him a chance. Let him prove that his contract was not a waste.
You all use “#IBackTheBirds” on twitter. So back them.
Interesting fact from today’s Orioles game notes: Ubaldo joined Boston’s Joe Kelly, Philadelphia’s Cole Hamels, Milwaukee’s Jimmy Nelson, and Tampa Bay’s Chris Archer as one of five pitchers across baseball to pitch seven or more innings allowing two-or-fewer hits. Per the Elias Sports Bureau, last night was the first time five pitchers accomplished that feat in the same night since September 23, 2000 when Greg Maddux, Bartolo Colon, Kevin Appier, Kevin Brown and Dan Serafini did so.
