Ubaldo Jimenez: "It wasn't pretty, but I felt good being on the mound" (O's lose 11-4)

ORIOLES QUICK WRAP

Score: Braves 11, Orioles 4

Recap: Ubaldo Jimenez recorded only one out in the first and was charged with six runs, three scoring after Odisamer Despaigne replaced him. He allowed three hits and walked three batters. Despaigne was charged with a second run in the second inning on Nate Freiman's RBI single. Chris Davis led off the second with a home run to center field and Jonathan Schoop hit a two-run shot with two outs. Todd Redmond retired all three batters he faced. Zach Britton and Mychal Givens each had a walk and strikeout in a scoreless inning. Ozzie Albies homered off Andy Oliver leading off the seventh. Cesar Cabral gave up a run in the ninth.

Need to know: Jimenez threw 34 pitches, 16 for strikes. Braves leadoff hitter Mallex Smith had two triples and two RBIs in the first inning, a home run off Brian Matusz in the fifth and a double off Oliver in the seventh. Mark Trumbo broke toward the line on Smith's fly ball, then raced back as it bounced off the track. Trumbo singled and scored in the second on J.J. Hardy's double play grounder. Hyun Soo Kim grounded to the right side against the shift in the first, a play scored 5-3. He went 0-for-3. Nolan Reimold reached on an infield hit, walked and stole a base in his first two plate appearances. Today's attendance: 5,984.

On deck:Thursday, vs. Rays in Port Charlotte, 1:05 p.m.

SARASOTA, Fla. - Ubaldo Jimenez knows about slow starts in spring training. It happened to him last year and again today. As long as his arm feels good and he's pleased with his mechanics, he isn't going to slip into panic mode.

Jimenez was on the mound for last spring's opener against the Tigers in Lakeland, where he allowed six runs (five earned) in 1 1/3 innings. He gave up two hits, walked two and struck out two in a 15-2 loss.

Given the ball today in the home opener, Jimenez retired only one of seven Braves he faced and eventually was charged with six runs. He allowed three hits and walked three batters.

"It doesn't look pretty at all, but I think I feel good because my arm feels really good," he said. "I was able to work on the things I wanted to. Even before the game. I wanted to throw my changeup and my curve, and I started to throw my split and slider for today and that's what I did.

"Actually, two of the hits they got were from changeups. Like I said, it wasn't pretty, but I felt good being on the mound and trying to get hitters out.

"I feel good. I was around the zone. I know I had (three) walks, but I was close, really close to the zone. They were close pitches. I feel fine, so I'm looking forward to my next one and getting ready."

Jimenez has been challenged in the past to repeat his delivery, but he had no issues with his mechanics this afternoon.

"I feel good," he said. "Even from the stretch with runners on base, I was able to go fast to home plate and kept throwing the ball around the zone."

Asked if location was the issue, Jimenez replied, "Maybe a little bit, but it was really close because I threw a lot of pitches down and in, but I guess they weren't strikes. But they were really close."

Though he didn't get out of the first inning, throwing 34 pitches before coming out of the game, Jimenez said he felt better today than during the Lakeland debacle. And it's worth noting that he finished 3-3 with a 4.44 ERA and 1.29 WHIP in seven Grapefruit League starts last year.

"Mechanically, I'm feeling good and I went to the mound and I wasn't thinking about mechanics," he said. "I was thinking about throwing inside with the fastball and working on the curve and changeup that I didn't use a lot last year.

"You never want to go out there and give up five runs like I did today, but there are things that are more important especially starting spring training, and that's working on the things you need to do. Hopefully, in my next couple of starts, everything will come together so I don't have to worry about throwing this pitch of that pitch, just getting people out."

The Orioles are down 9-4 in the bottom of the fifth inning. Mallex Smith has tripled twice and homered, his solo shot coming off left-hander Brian Matusz in the top of the fifth.

Matusz stranded two runners after a walk and double.

Todd Redmond retired the three batters he faced in the third, and Zach Britton walked a batter and struck out one in a scoreless fourth.

Adam Jones singled and Chris Davis walked in the third. Nolan Reimold walked and stole a base in the fourth.

Hyun Soo Kim is 0-for-3 with two ground outs to the right side and a fly ball to right field.