Here is a crazy stat: Ubaldo Jimenez has made three starts this year against the Toronto Blue Jays and has an ERA of 2.84. Orioles starters in four other games against Toronto have an ERA of 22.62.
Yep, told you it was crazy.
Chris Tillman and Bud Norris have combined to make four starts versus Toronto this year. In the four games, they have combined to pitch just 12 1/3 innings, allowing 25 hits, including four homers and 31 runs.
Jimenez is now 2-1 against Toronto and the Orioles are 2-5 as a team. In 19 innings, Jimenez has allowed 13 hits and six runs with six walks and 23 strikeouts. Jimenez has a WHIP of 1.00 and average against of just .194 against the majors' highest-scoring team.
Does he do anything special to have success against Toronto?
"Not really," he said. "I feel if I have good fastball command, I probably can have good games against any team. But they have a pretty good team, pretty good lineup. Not easy to face them. Counting spring training, this was my sixth game against them this year. Hopefully, I don't face them again for a long time."
Meanwhile, after they struck out 18 times to set a nine-inning team record on Sunday at New York, the O's cut that in half last night in the 5-2 win over the Blue Jays.
Chris Davis was asked if he was worried about some carryover for the O's offense last night.
"There were times when we were a little bit too aggressive," Davis said. "But we addressed that today. We know we're an aggressive offense and we like to swing the bat. But at the same time, we need to be a little more conscious of swinging at balls in the strike zone."
Davis went 2-for-4 last night with a two-run homer in the first inning. He now has eight homers and 21 RBIs with a slugging percentage of .523 and OPS of .840.
While he leads the American League in strikeouts, Davis is now tied for fifth in the league in homers. He is now on a pace to hit 43 homers with 113 RBIs. Is he happy with his run production numbers so far?
"I am. I still have things that I want to work on: not giving at-bats away, making sure I swing at pitches in the strike zone. But things are progressing nicely," he said after homering for the sixth time in the last 14 games.
Meanwhile, there was one batter (David Lough) hit in the game last night and one (Delmon Young) that saw a pitch to him come in high and tight in the first inning. But we saw none of the previous animosity between these teams surface last night.
It wasn't even much of a topic in the clubhouse before the game. I did mention it to Adam Jones and asked him if some of the intense emotions we saw in Toronto could carryover into this series.
"We want to win a baseball game, I don't care about no emotions. I want to win a baseball game," he said.
That they did on what was a feel-good Monday in Baltimore. The Orioles returned home, they were cheered on by a vocal crowd and showed support for their city wearing uniforms with "Baltimore" across the chest. Now we begin to find out if they will reel off some wins so they can start to feel good about this season and their chances in the American League East.
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