Ubaldo Jimenez, Orioles bullpen pitch four-hit shutout in 1-0 win over Rays – Baltimore Sun (blog)

A second-string Orioles lineup had a terrible time with World Baseball Classic-bound ace Chris Archer and the Tampa Bay Rays pitchers in general Saturday afternoon. But counterpart Ubaldo Jimenez and a cadre of relieversmatched zeroes until the Orioles manufactured the games only run for a 1-0 win.

Archer fanned five of the nine Orioles batters he faced in three perfect innings, and Jimenez worked around a difficult first inning to give the Orioles three scoreless innings of his own.

For the veteran Jimenez, it was another positive step in a spring he knows will be a long one and hopes will be productive.

I felt pretty good, Jimenez said. I was able to command the fastball and work on what I needed to do, and I was getting my breaking ball for a strike. So I think I was able to do that.

I think that as the day goes by, youre going to feel more comfortable around there, especially in spring training. But I think today, I was trying to throw my breaking ball in the first inning. I couldnt get it for a strike, but I got it back. Thats why I was falling behind in the first.

Once he got his breaking ball on track, it was smooth sailing for Jimenez, who allowed only an infield single in his final two innings.The right-hander haspitched in WBC springs before, but said hes where he needs to be with nearly a month remaining until Opening Day.

Well, you have to take it easy, he said. You dont want to rush anything, especially because its a long spring. You have to find a way to stay in your room and do everything to get ready for the season, but at the same time dont rush it.

"Sometimes in the past, its been a struggle early to get a lot of our guys, including Ubaldo, their work in," manager Buck Showalter said. "You end up having to go down to the bullpen and throw some more, but theres a little different look to him than Ive seen in past springs. I hope that bodes well. Well see. All the guys threw the ball well."

Jimenez wasn't the only Orioles pitcher who excelled Saturday. Vidal Nuno, Brad Brach, Richard Bleierand Zach Stewart combined with Jimenez for a four-hit shutout.

Small ball

Third baseman Chris Johnson, back in the lineup after a pitch hit him in the thumb and cost him a couple of days, hit a ground-rule double down the left field line to open the seventh inning. Joey Rickard pinch ran, took third base on a wild pitch by top Rays prospect Blake Snell and scored the only run of the game on a chopper to shortstop by center fielder Logan Schafer.

Tommy time

Former Orioles right-hander Tommy Hunter pitched the fourth inning for the Rays, and fared well against his former mates. He hit second baseman Robert Andino with a pitch, but struck out right fielder Chris Dickerson, left fielder Hyun Soo Kim and Johnson.

Looking for lefties

Two of the newest additions to the Orioles roster, left-handers Nuno andBleier, each got his second Grapefruit League appearance with the club and impressed. Nuno pitched two scoreless innings behind Jimenez, ceding only a hit and striking out one. Bleier, who allowed a run on three hits in his two-inning Orioles debut Wednesday, fanned two in a perfect seventh inning.

"Bleier, that was a little more the guy we thought wed see," Showalter said.

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Ubaldo Jimenez, Orioles bullpen pitch four-hit shutout in 1-0 win over Rays - Baltimore Sun (blog)