Baltimore Orioles and Ubaldo Jimenez: It’s Time

May 1, 2016; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Orioles pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez (31) walks off the field after being removed from the game in the fifth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports /

The time has come for the Baltimore Orioles to drop Ubaldo Jimenez from the starting rotation.

That he is currently ineffective is the ultimate understatement. It is never a good thing when, in a start, you give up four times as many doubles as you register outs. On Sunday, Udaldo yielded four doubles, two singles and a lone strikeout among his seven batters faced in one-third of an inning.

We have always known and understood that Jimenez was going to have his ups and downs as a pitcher. It would be almost tolerable if they happened every other game. But he has only had three quality starts in his 13 games so far this year – the first, fourth, and sixth outings of the season.

The numbers are amazingly ugly and jolt the baseball soul. Along with the 3-7 record is an ERA of 6.89 and a WHIP of 1.98! When have you ever seen a number like that for someone who has pitched 63 innings? The answer? Probably only from someone who has a four-year, $50 million contract that cannot be dumped.

Of course the problems for the Orioles are more than just money. The question involves who else to turn to. Only Chris Tillman and Kevin Gausman look like dependable MLB starters at this time. Rookies Mike Wright and Tyler Wilson have had their difficulties as well, though they honestly look like aces compared to Jimenez. Vance Worley would be a better option at this point, or even T.J. McFarland, though each fill valuable bullpen roles. Hopes are that Yovani Gallardo can make a successful comeback and fill a spot each fifth day. I hope that could happen, but from what I saw of him in Frederick I don’t have many high expectations.

But the situation at this time is so bad that it simply must be addressed. Most often in the past when Jimenez has had troubles, he has created many of them for himself by walking too many people. But of late the greater problem has been that the opposition clobbers anything he throws near the strike zone. And just about any option is a better one.

Of course, the Orioles can’t really just drop him. They have to use him somehow, and I don’t fault them for going as far as they have in hopes of corrective results. But, the end! This can’t go on.

Obviously Buck is not going to announce this immediately. To the question, posed by MASN’s Steve Melewski, he said …

"“I know it is a question you have to ask. You’re watching the same games I am. This has been probably his longest stretch of him not being as good as he’s capable of being. We look at it after every start for everybody. And will continue to do that. He knows it’s not good enough. He knows that.”"

Adding to the conundrum is the matter of bullpen arms also needing to have the ability to get people out. And Showalter also addressed this matter …

"“The problem with the American League and the American League East, you put someone in that bullpen, they have to be effective there too … So, you put somebody down there, you have to feel capable they can do that job too.”"

I get that; I understand that. But it certainly seems the damage done there would be in smaller slices than by blowing up the rotation every fifth day. Maybe a change would be a categorical shift to help him get to a different place, sort of like putting Adam Jones in the leadoff position – a move that makes little sense and seems counterintuitive. But it has worked.

The Orioles had to take Jimenez out of the rotation in 2014. In early July he suffered an ankle sprain that put him on the DL and made for a 34-day gap between appearances. He came back to start two games. The first was minimally decent, though he gave up six runs in four innings in the second outing. Even that looks stellar compared to today.