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They say you don't know what you have until it is gone. For the Orioles that "thing" was a winning streak that they let slip though their grasps last night as the fell to the White Sox. Tonight, they play game three. It is a match-up of two struggling pitchers. Each team will need to other to bring it's best stuff to beat these lineups.
RHP Ubaldo Jimenez, Baltimore
2014 stats: 15 G, 2-8, 4.63 ERA, 81.2 IP, 9 HR, 51 BB, 71 SO, .250 BAA, 1.56 WHIP
Last start (@ NY Yankees): 5.2 IP, 1 ER, 6 H, 6 BB, 3 SO, ND
What can even be written here? Jimenez has been a disappointment; plain and simple. He was ok his last time out against New York. Woo, he only allowed one run but oh no, not even six innings of work and yet he had six walks? That is his fatal flaw.
He leads the league in walks allowed. The next four guys on the least each have at least 11.1 more innings pitched that Ubaldo. He needs to find the strikezone.
This White Sox team has the third most strikeouts in all of of baseball. They are free swingers but they walk in the middle of the pack. Jimenez needs to show up tonight.
RHP Hector Noesi, Chicago
2014 stats: 16 G, 10 GS, 2-5, 5.34 ERA, 64.0 IP, 9 HR, 23 BB, 52 SO, .289 BAA, 1.52 WHIP
Last start: (@ Minnesota): 7.0 IP, 4 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 4 SO, ND
It's only June and Noesi has been with three different teams this year. Only the White Sox have thrown him out there to start the game, but that is where he has had the most success of his career.
Overall, the season has been a nightmare, he is averaging over 3 walks per nine innings as well as giving up a .323 batting average against and 1.27 home runs per nine innings.
It's go time for the Orioles offense. This is a subpar pitcher and with some of the monsters Baltimore has it's hands on, this should be nothing difficutl.
Lineups
Chicago White Sox (w/ career numbers against Jimenez)
| CF Adam Eaton (L) | none |
| 2B Gordon Beckham (R) | 7-for-22, .318 BA, 1 HR, 4 BB, 3 SO |
| 3B Conor Gillaspie (L) | 5-for-8, .625 BA, 1 2B, 2 BB, 1 SO |
| 1B Jose Abreu (R) | none |
| DH Adam Dunn (L) | 5-for-32, .156 BA, 2 2B, 1 HR |
| SS Alexei Ramirez (R) | 7-for-26, .269 BA, 1 3B, 6 BB, 1 SO |
| RF Dayan Viciedo (R) | 7-for-18, .389 BA, 1 2B, 3 BB, 3 SO |
| LF Alejandro De Aza (L) | 5-for-23, .217 BA, 1 2B, 1 3B, 5 BB, 8 SO |
| C Tyler Flowers (R) | 3-for-11, .273, 3 2B, 4 SO, 6 BB, 19 SO |
On the bench: Paul Konerko (5-for-20 with a double and a home run). That's it. No one else has seen Jimenez that isn;t in the lineup. Overall, those numbers are a tad worrisome, but it's Ubaldo. Things can change on a dime with him and his herky-jerky windup.
Baltimore Orioles (w/ career numbers against Noesi)
| RF Nick Markakis (L) | 1-for-2, .500 BA, 1 BB |
| LF Steve Pearce (R) | none |
| CF Adam Jones (R) |
2-for-4, .500 BA, 1 HR, 2 BB, 1 SO |
| 1B Chris Davis (L) | 1-for-7, .143 BA, 2 SO |
| DH Nelson Cruz (R) | 2-for-5, .400 BA, 1 HR, 1 BB, 2 SO |
| SS J.J. Hardy (R) | 1-for-8, .125 BA, 1 2B, 1 BB, 3 SO |
| 3B Manny Machado (R) | 1-for-1, 1.000 BA |
| 2B Ryan Flaherty (L) | none |
| C Nick Hundley (R) | 0-for-2, .000 BA |
The only name on the bench that has faced Chicago's righty is Delmon Young. He has had one bat; 0-for-1 with a strikeout. Altogether, the team has seen Noesi 30 total times. It's a crapshoot against a pitcher who has been crap in 2014.