The Baltimore Orioles paid starting pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez $50 million last offseason, but his poor performance has him dropped from the playoff roster.
The Baltimore Orioles have made a switch to their roster for the upcoming American League Championship Series against the Kansas City Royals:
Matusz back on Os roster. No Jimenez
— Britt Ghiroli (@Britt_Ghiroli) October 10, 2014
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That’s left-handed reliever Brian Matusz being added to the roster and swingman right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez getting cut. There’s some strategy at play here: the Royals have more left-handed hitters than the Orioles’s ALDS opponent, the Detroit Tigers, did. Adding another lefty and a fairly effective one at that, is sound reasoning for the ALCS, as match ups will matter in the postseason.
It’s a bit ironic that in both this year and in 2013, Ubaldo Jimenez has pitched with teams making the postseason and then didn’t appear in a playoff game with either team. In 2013, Ubaldo Jimenez’s strong final start secured the Cleveland Indians the top Wild Card spot, but Cleveland lost in the Wild Card game.
It’s a different story for 2014 where Ubaldo Jimenez hasn’t been used because he’s been bad when he has pitched. He was demoted to the bullpen in mid-August, and despite two so-so September starts (and after Baltimore had clinched the AL East), he hasn’t been the same pitcher he was in 2013 and wasn’t used in the Orioles’s ALDS sweep of Detroit.
Ubaldo Jimenez can still be added to the World Series roster if Baltimore was to advance, but given that he had a 4.81 ERA in 125.1 innings pitched, only striking out 116 hitters, it’s doubtful the Orioles will be excited to put Ubaldo Jimenez back on the roster anytime soon. They’re stuck with him for at least the next three seasons, as he signed a four-year, $50-million-dollar deal this past offseason.
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