Orioles right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez battled with his control through an unseasonably brisk afternoon Wednesday at LECOM Park. And despite issuing five walks against the Pittsburgh Pirates, he became the first Orioles starter to pitch into the fifth inning this spring training.
“That’s what you want to do,” Jimenez said about pitching 4 2/3 innings in the Orioles' 6-5 loss to the Pirates. “Keep getting the pitches up. So that’s good.”
Despite his location struggles, Jimenez was able to build his pitch count to 76 pitches Wednesday. He left the game with runners on the corners and two outs in a tied game, and he watched from the Orioles dugout as the fifth snowballed into a five-run frame for the Pirates.