Toronto Blue Jays
Orioles' Jimenez looks to bounce back against Jays (Jun 29, 2017)
Toronto Blue Jays

Orioles' Jimenez looks to bounce back against Jays (Jun 29, 2017)

Published Jun. 29, 2017 12:23 a.m. ET

TORONTO -- A struggling Ubaldo Jimenez takes the mound for the Baltimore Orioles in Thursday's rubber match against the Toronto Blue Jays.

The 33-year-old failed to make it through three innings his last time out, allowing nine earned runs on seven hits and four walks over 2 1/3 innings against the Tampa Bay Rays.

"It's been tough," Jimenez told the Baltimore Sun following his June 23 start. "It's been really tough. It's not easy to come to the stadium every day knowing that you're going to struggle. I know we're all expecting that this is going to end one of these days, but it just keeps happening. The only thing we can do is keep being positive and fighting every day."

Baltimore won the series opener 3-1 before seeing its three-game winning streak snapped in a 4-0 loss to the Blue Jays on Wednesday night.

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Jimenez enters Thursday's game with a 7.26 ERA. He has allowed 16 home runs over his 65 2/3 innings this season. The right-hander has surrendered multiple homers in six of his 15 starts.

It doesn't get easier for Jimenez on Thursday; he's 2-3 with a 6.33 ERA in seven career appearances at Toronto's Rogers Centre.

The Blue Jays (37-40) will counter with J.A. Happ as they look to improve to 4-8 against Baltimore (38-39) this season.

Happ has made five starts since missing a month and a half with left elbow inflammation. He has looked strong in his past three outings. The 34-year-old allowed just one run on four hits while striking out five over 6 2/3 innings against the Kansas City Royals on June 23.

"Just trying to stay out of the middle as much as I can and just trying to stick that fastball to each side and just do everything," Happ told Sportsnet.ca. "Just getting ahead, getting Strike 1. I feel like I've been getting better at that. That helps me control the count a lot better and be able to throw the other pitches off of that."

In his previous three outings against the Seattle Mariners, Chicago White Sox and Kansas City Royals, the left-hander allowed four earned runs over 19 1/3 innings while striking out 22 and issuing just a single walk.

"He looks strong," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons told Sportsnet.ca. "It's pretty amazing; the guy can basically pitch with just a fastball. You look at the reading on it; it's not a 98 mph fastball.

"But he's so good at locating it down. He gets some ground balls now. And he throws just enough of the other pitches to keep (hitters) aware of them. He's got some good deception in there. The ball jumps a little bit."

Happ is seeking his first win of the season against Baltimore. He's 0-2 and has allowed four earned runs on nine hits over 11 1/3 innings against the O's this season.

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