Skip to content

Orioles' Jimenez unfazed by shaky spring debut

Joy R. Absalon / USA TODAY Sports / Reuters

Ubaldo Jimenez endured a disastrous first season with the Baltimore Orioles in 2014 and didn't do much to silence his critics in his Grapefruit League debut against the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday.

But despite yielding six runs (five earned) over just 1 1/3 innings at Joker Marchant Stadium, the 31-year-old right-hander didn't seem all that distressed about his ugly inaugural outing.

"If you see the scoreboard you're probably like 'Oh he was (bad)' but I wasn't," Jimenez told reporters. "I felt like I had good control of the fastball. I hit two guys but it was two pitches that got away. The other pitches were really close."

Jimenez signed a four-year, $50-million deal with Baltimore last winter but battled injury and ineffectiveness throughout the season before being relegated to the bullpen in August. Though Jimenez failed to endear himself to Orioles fans last season, the erratic veteran acknowledged Tuesday that such things are beyond his control.

"For me, I can't control what people are thinking," Jimenez said. "The only thing I can control is doing my job every day."

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox