Right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez probably knew he wasn't the Orioles' first choice to start Wednesday night's game against the San Diego Padres, and the announced 23,785 at Camden Yards let him know he wasn't their first choice, either, when he allowed a run in the first inning.
He was booed as he struggled early on, but he settled down to pitch six strong innings and — wait for it — got a partial standing ovation when he walked off the field at the end of a four-hit, seven-strikeout performance that helped the Orioles score a 7-2 victory.
"Bent, didn't break," manager Buck Showalter said. "What did he have, four walks? Stolen bases were a challenge, but he made some good pitches, got through six innings and gave our bullpen a rest. We didn't have many options out there tonight. He delivered what we needed. It's good to see him go home feeling good about himself."
Picked to start because of a tired bullpen and the demotion of right-hander Mike Wright, Jimenez (4-7) later gave up just one more run, on a bloop RBI single in the fifth, and got solid run support from throughout the Orioles lineup.
Adam Jones , Hyun Soo Kim and Jonathan Schoop each had multihit games at the top of the batting order, and Mark Trumbo broke a 13-game home run drought with his three-hit performance. Matt Wieters drove in two runs, and Ryan Flaherty hit his fourth home run of the season.
The struggling Padres (30-43) had entered the game riding a three-game winning streak after a comeback victory over the Orioles (41-30) on Tuesday night, but starting pitcher Erik Johnson (0-5) allowed the Orioles to score in every inning he pitched but the first.
Jimenez allowed three of the first four Padres batters he faced to reach base, which drew disapproval from the stands, but he bounced back after that to retire nine of the next 10 batters. He walked four but finished with a flourish, striking out the last four batters before turning the game over to reliever Brad Brach.
"It was big," Jimenez said. "It felt really good finally being able to give the team a chance to win. To be able to pitch six innings, it felt good. I mean, there's no more you can do with that. That's probably the most exciting thing about baseball. They give you a chance to start, and it's a new game."
The Orioles will need a fifth starter at least a couple of more times before the All-Star break, but Showalter wouldn't speculate on how Jimenez fits in with the rotation.
"We've got two more of that spot before the All-Star break," Showalter said. "We'll take it each day and put our best foot forward. Tonight, he was it."
The Orioles have today off before opening a four-game home series against the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday night.
Trumbo gets going: Trumbo had been struggling at the plate for the past couple of weeks, but he homered in his first at-bat, doubled his second time up and added a single in the seventh inning. The home run was his 21st and tied him with the Colorado Rockies' Nolan Arenado for the major league lead. It was his first homer since June 7.