Wrapping up 11-4 loss with Showalter, Jimenez, Wieters and Worley

CLEVELAND - What's next for Ubaldo Jimenez?

The question hangs in the air like the dark clouds that spread across Progressive Field by the middle innings in the Orioles' 11-4 loss to the Indians.

Jimenez was charged with six runs (three earned) and five hits in 1 2/3 innings, with three walks and a strikeout. The Indians stole four bases off him.

Going back to his last four starts, Jimenez has surrendered 19 earned runs (23 total) and 27 hits in 16 2/3 innings. He's also walked 14 batters.

The last run off Jimenez scored after Vance Worley replaced him and gave up an RBI single to Juan Uribe.

The Orioles committed four errors for the second time this week and permitted five stolen bases. They allowed a season-high 11 runs, six of them unearned. They had to endure a 22-minute rain delay after Ashur Tolliver's miscue opened the bottom of the eighth. But the focus stayed on Jimenez, who threw 25 of his 50 pitches for strikes and raised his ERA to 6.36 in 52 1/3 innings.

"Just command," said manager Buck Showalter. "He's not able to get the ball where he needs to get it. You saw it. Walks and deep counts, kind of taking away the possibility of something other than a fastball, and that's been a challenge for him."

So has holding runners and preventing steals.

"Sometimes he's really engaged in it and quick to the plate, and sometimes he's not," Showalter said. "We harp on it since he's been here and it's been a challenge for him throughout his career. It's tough on the catchers because our guys are really good at it if they get a chance.

"We did some things that didn't help him, too. We had some throwing errors, but when you're so deep in the counts and 30-some pitches in the first inning, that's got everybody kind of on their heels there."

What can be done to fix Jimenez? It's more than a million dollar question. Try $13.5 million, the amount he's owed in 2017.

"It's something we've gone through some really good times and some really tough times," Showalter said. "We know there's some good there. He's healthy and works hard. I see him between starts. He wants to be a consistent contributor so bad and it's just not happening for him right now."

The Orioles tweaked his delivery last season, trying to make it more compact.

"There's just so much you can do," Showalter said. "He's got a lot of moving parts and that's also why he's deceptive when he's going well and guys don't see him well and creates a lot of late action on the ball. But he's not able to command it right now. You can tell he's worried a lot about it and it takes away some of his concentration on the baserunners, something that's been a challenge for him his whole career. We harp on it a lot and sometimes it's there."

Jimenez knows his mechanics are out of whack again.

"It's something I've been working on in the bullpen," he said. "I feel good in between starts, but I have to find a way to take whatever I'm doing in the bullpen and take in into the game."

Asked for his frustration level, Jimenez replied, "Of course I'm disappointed, but like I said before, I never put my head down. I always try to find a way to survive and I don't give up. It doesn't matter how ugly how things are. I know I'm not doing what I'm supposed to do to help the team out, but it's a part of the game. I have to find a way to keep fighting and be able to recover and be there for the team."

What about the possibility of going to the bullpen, as he did in 2014?

"I don't think about that," he said. "It's not my job to think about that. The only thing I worry about is getting ready every day. Whatever it is, I take it. It's not my job."

Controlling the running game is part of it.

"I don't feel like I was too bad out there," Jimenez said. "(Francisco) Lindor is a fast runner. With (Mike) Napoli, maybe I didn't pay too much attention, but with Lindor, for me, I thought I was fast. I don't know. In the games before, I've been able to control the running game."

Jimenez doesn't see comparisons between his current struggles and his disastrous 2014 season.

"Not really because in '14, it was different. I hurt my ankle. I went on the DL and when I came back, I only had three games and then I was sent to the bullpen," he said.

"It's different. But it's all about the mechanics. I have to be able to take whatever I'm doing in the bullpen and take it into the game. And hopefully, everything changes for me because nothing is going my way.

"That's the thing about baseball. When things are going bad, everything falls apart, and whatever you do out there it doesn't go your way. But the oldest thing is that things change. I have the faith that things are going to change. I never lose my mind. I know it's tough to not be doing my job, but I always stay positive. I work hard every day and I'm going to find a way to recover and get back on track and hopefully things are going to go my way."

Worley allowed two runs (one earned) and four hits in 4 1/3 innings, with one walk and two strikeouts. He threw 60 pitches, 43 for strikes.

"When the game's where it's at, you're going in trying to limit the damage, make pitches, trying to keep the ball on the ground, just keep the guys in it," said Worley, who allowed his first runs in relief this season.

"I was trying to work as quick as I could to get the guys off their feet and back in the dugout and swing it and put some runs back on the board. I would have liked to have gone one more, but I think I left the game in a really good spot.

"I did OK. A couple of deep counts. You know me now. I go after guys and I want them to put the ball in play. The less amount of pitches, the better, and just let my defense work and let them swing."

Too many swings are hurting Jimenez, along with the deep counts, the walks, pretty much everything.

"It's hard," Worley said. "This game's not easy. We've all been through rough patches. You always want the guy to get out of it sooner rather than later. I would say, just try to be as positive as you can. I know the coaching staff is going to be as positive as they can about things and keep it upbeat, see what happens.

"He can throw a side in a couple of days and he can work on things then and try and get things straighten out."

Catcher Matt Wieters tried to guide Jimenez through the choppy waters, but to no avail.

"Really, it's just command of his fastball," Wieters said. "Once he gets that feel where he can command his fastball, I think it's going to be set up a lot better. But we got behind in some counts and he had some tough breaks in that first inning. We kind of compiled it by getting behind some hitters. It's a patient hitting club, but they're also aggressive on mistakes. It's a good club that you need to get ahead of and we were just behind in the count a lot.

"We've seen where Ubaldo can come back and he has the sort of mental fortitude to kind of rebound, and in this clubhouse, we know how much pride he takes in going out there, so we're going to try and help any way we can and try to get him back where he needs to be. We're confident he'll get there."

Wieters couldn't do much to slow the Indians on the basepaths. He allowed four stolen bases this season before the Indians swiped five today.

"They've got guys who have a lot of tools," he said. "The best way to keep them from running is to keep them from getting on base, and they were able to get on. I made a couple throws that didn't quite carry for me like I wanted to today, but that's OK. We'll get back at it tomorrow and try to get a win."

The Indians scored twice off Mychal Givens in the bottom of the seventh. One run was unearned.

Tolliver was charged with an unearned run in the eighth on Jose Ramirez's single after his throwing error and the rain delay.

The Orioles had six doubles, their highest total since collecting seven against the Athletics on Aug. 16, 2015. The club record is nine.

Down on the farm, Triple-A Norfolk's Ron Johnson is managing in his 626th game tonight to pass Gary Allenson for first place on the franchise's all-time list.

"I talk to Ronny a lot," Showalter said. "He and Griff (Mike Griffin) are such a great team for us. They're great assets for us, not only in their ability to coach and manage, but to evaluate players. It's not always a pure statistical thing. I think it's the hardest level to manage, maybe in sports in a lot of ways. I haven't been in minor league hockey. But they keep such a great atmosphere there win, lose or draw.

"I think Ron is a treasure and an asset for us. He's so consistent. He's a one-ring picker-upper on the phone every time. He's an asset for me, sometimes just to talk. He gets it. A big contributor in spring training. He's worth everything that he's got coming.

"He says the reward for a job well done is the chance to do it again. He can be on a big league staff. I've told him many times he's so valuable to us there that I couldn't imagine a better Triple-A manager than Ron Johnson."