With six walks in 5 2/3 innings during the Orioles' 5-3 loss Friday to the New York Yankees, Orioles right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez took over the major league lead in walks, with 51 in 81 2/3 innings pitched.
“I said [Friday] night, he was very fortunate” to last into the sixth and allow only one run, manager Buck Showalter said Saturday. “I don't want to use the word ‘lucky,' but ... he had, like, 50 or 60 pitches through four [innings], and then he gets out of sync mechanically and it's really hard for him” to recover.
Because of Jimenez's unorthodox delivery, which deceives hitters when he can repeat it, mechanical problems that hurt his command can arise quickly.
“He'll go through some extended periods where he doesn't get back into it. It's something that's been a real challenge for him,” Showalter said. “He's leading the league or baseball in walks, right? It doesn't surprise me.”