Game update and Showalter talks about Wieters (O's lose 4-3)

ARLINGTON, Tex. - Ubaldo Jimenez came close tonight to allowing another run in the first inning, but he escaped a jam following Delino DeShields' leadoff triple.

Shin-Soo Choo grounded out and DeShields broke for home on Prince Fielder's bouncer to the mound, running into a 1-5-2 putout. Adrian Beltre flied to deep left-center field to send Jimenez back to the dugout at 15 pitches.

As I wrote earlier today, Jimenez had surrendered at least one run in the first inning in five of his eight starts in the second half. He's allowed 12 total runs in the first inning since the break.

Rangers left-hander Martin Perez retired the Orioles in order on six pitches in the top of the first. Chris Davis grounded out to open the second inning, extending his slump to 2-for-27 with 15 strikeouts.

Perez has retired the first nine batters. If the Orioles' offense is busting out tonight, it's going to happen in the middle or late innings.

Matt Wieters had started five straight games before returning to the bench tonight. Manager Buck Showalter chose Davis as his designated hitter while Caleb Joseph starts behind the plate.

Wieters is batting .266/ .296/.411 with 11 doubles, five home runs and 17 RBIs in 56 games. Showalter said earlier today that he's grading Wieters according to the catcher's return from Tommy John surgery.

It's a different scale.

"Oh sure," Showalter said. "One, because he's catching every other day. It's hard to get in a whole lot of rhythm there. Like I said many times, Jonathan (Schoop), him, Steve Pearce, none of them even have 200 at-bats and we're almost into September.

"I've tried to give Matt some DH days, too. He's getting closer, closer. We'll see how he feels when he gets into September. I keep that in mind."

Wieters has averaged slightly more than twice as many strikeouts as walks in his career, but he's walked nine times and struck out 54 this season.

"I just don't think there's enough sampling this year to really say anything concretely, but I know Matt," Showalter said. "Because he knows his chances to contribute aren't as many as every day catching right now, he probably tries to do too much sometimes."

Wieters is .309/.345/.509 right-handed and .248/.276/.372 left-handed this season.

"You know what's funny with Matt? When I first got here, everybody was talking about how he's a lot better left-handed hitter," Showalter said. "In watching him, I thought he was pretty even both sides. One year they switch around this way and the next year they switch around this way."

Update: DeShields reached on an infield hit leading off the bottom of the third - Manny Machado bobbled the ball - and scored on Shin-Soo Choo's double to break a scoreless tie. Fielder flied out, but Adrian Beltre hit a two-run homer to give the Rangers a 3-0 lead.

Update II: The Orioles tied the game in the fifth on Steve Pearce's ninth home run, Paul Janish's sacrifice fly and Machado's RBI single. Dariel Alvarez doubled for his first major league hit.

The Orioles haven't scored this many runs in an inning since the sixth inning on Aug. 21.

Update III: Bobby Wilson doubled off Mychal Givens with two outs in the sixth to score Elvis Andrus and give Texas a 4-3 lead.

Andrus tripled off Jimenez and Will Venable was walked intentionally before Givens entered the game.

Jimenez hasn't gone more than 5 2/3 innings in his last four starts. He's carrying a 7.50 ERA in nine starts in the second half.

Update IV: The Orioles lose again tonight, 4-3, for their fifth defeat in six games on the road trip. They're 4 1/2 games behind the Rangers for the second wild card.

The Orioles are 9-50 when scoring fewer than four runs. All of their scoring tonight was confined to the fifth inning.

They've lost nine of their last 10 games and 10 of 12, and they're now 17-24 in one-run games.

The Orioles are three games below .500 for the first time since July 24.