Baltimore Orioles, Ubaldo Jimenez swept away in Seattle

Ubaldo Jimenez got knocked around as the Baltimore Orioles fell 9-4 in Seattle and were swept in the four-game set.

You have to believe that Seattle had to have studied just about everything that the Baltimore Orioles’ starters, including Ubaldo Jimenez, tended to do coming into this series. There wasn’t one offering over the course of the entire weekend that Seattle didn’t seem to have a shot at hitting – and hitting far, at that. To drive that point home, at one point yesterday Jimenez was conned into a rookie mistake – balking in a run after a base runner took off. That’s the type of weekend it was for the Orioles.

Jimenez wasn’t strong in the wake of two decent outings. Jimenez’s line: 4.1 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 3 BB, 3 K. He actually started this game off strong, not allowing a run for the first two innings. In many of his struggles, Jimenez has had troubles from the beginning. However he loaded the bases with nobody out in the last of the third, and Seattle’s Smith happily obliged by hitting a grand slam. Again, Seattle had to have really studied whatever the Orioles were throwing out there coming in – Smith homered in all four games of this series.

However the good news for the O’s is that they battled back – and quick. Mark Trumbo smacked his 24th homer of the season in the top of the fourth, to get the Birds on the board. Later in the inning J.J. Hardy‘s two-RBI double cut the Seattle lead to 4-3. At that point, it appeared that the Birds had a shot. 

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However Seattle came right back in the last of the fourth. Marte hit a ground-rule RBI-double (when the ball got lodged under the fence), and Jimenez balked in the aforementioned run. Again, that sixth run was typical of this series. Martin took off for second in a steal attempt, and Jimenez stopped his windup – resulting in a balk. While that’s the type of mistake we’d expect of a rookie, we do have to keep in mind that human beings are still playing this game. And as I said, that’s just how things went for the Orioles for the entire weekend.

Trumbo would add an RBI-single in the seventh to bring the O’s to within 6-4. However two RBI-doubles by Seattle in the last of the inning sealed the Orioles’ fate. It’s tough to say why the Birds struggled against Seattle this season, as they dropped two-of-three in Baltimore, and all four in Seattle. Sometimes you just don’t match up well against some teams – and that’s true in all sports.

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The only thing you can do is to get out of town after a series like that and move on. And in general, the O’s are pretty good at that. While this past weekend was not a good one for the orange and black, you’re going to have stretches like that over the course of 162 games.

The O’s will now open up a three-game set back in Southern California against the Los Angeles Dodgers at historic Dodger Stadium. Yovani Gallardo will make the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Los Angeles’ Julio Urias. Game time is set for just after 9 PM. 

Next: Baltimore Orioles: Tyler Wilson struggles in Seattle

With today being America’s Independence Day, I want to remind everyone that it’s not just a day off where we can spend with our families, watching baseball, etc. There are still nations out there who aren’t anywhere near as fortunate as we are, as they don’t have the liberties that we do. As Americans we’re the most blessed people on earth of any generation or era. So as we honor our Stars and Stripes today in ballparks and backyards across the country, let us not forget why the Fourth of July is such an important day. Happy Fourth of July, and may our America always be a beacon for freedom around the world.