Sea Dogs' Jimenez spins two-hitter

Watching Dedgar Jimenez this year, Double-A Portland pitching coach Paul Abbott has seen a pitcher with plenty of potential, but one who has just had some difficulties avoiding the big inning. But when Jimenez kept things in check Tuesday, he turned in his best start of the year.
The Red Sox southpaw tossed a seven-inning two-hitter for his first career shutout as the Sea Dogs blanked the Rumble Ponies, 1-0, in the opener of a doubleheader at NYSEG Stadium. He struck out five and walked three in his fourth start of at least seven innings this season.

"He's been throwing a lot better than what it looks like from afar," Abbott said. "If you take away the big inning, his last four or five [starts] have been really good. And today, he avoided that. In the first inning, he had back-to-back walks, but he stayed in the moment and got out of the inning and cruised on from there."
Jimenez (5-6) came into the month with a 5.96 ERA and having surrendered six runs over 11 frames in his first two July starts. In his previous outing against New Hampshire on July 12, the Venezuela native yielded four runs on seven hits -- including a homer -- over six innings. But after giving up all four runs in the first, he posted five straight scoreless frames to close out his start. 
Gameday box score
Back on the hill in Binghamton, he threw 57 of 99 pitches for strikes. The 22-year-old pitched to contact effectively, recording seven groundouts and six flyouts. Jimenez worked in a deceptive fastball, a slider and an improving changeup to keep the Rumble Ponies off balance for most of the night.
Abbott said the starter didn't have a total feel for his curveball, but his other pitches were strong enough to propel him through the complete game. Jimenez filled up all parts of the zone, which made him that much harder to hit against.
"His changeup keeps improving and continues to be a difference-maker," Abbott said. "One thing he does not lack is his ability to compete. He's just out there and he never, never gives in. He fights until the end."
The tough mentality proved large early in the game, when with two outs in the first, Jimenez issued consecutive walks to Kevin Taylor and Joey Terdoslavich. But with just one pitch, he got eighth-ranked Mets prospectTomás Nido to bounce to second to end the frame. 
After the struggles Jimenez went through in the first against the Fisher Cats last time out, Abbott was encouraged to see the hurler weave through traffic in the opening stanza Tuesday. 
"He put those guys on, and they were good pitches -- competitive walks," the pitching coach said. "He was a little upset, but he just stayed locked in and got [Nido] and shut the door. He didn't allow any damage and he kept it rolling up and it was smooth sailing from there on."
After escaping trouble, Jimenez allowed three baserunners -- a third-inning bunt single by Champ Stuart, Mets No. 14 prospect Jhoan Urena on a fielding error in the fifth by shortstop Jeremy Rivera and a sixth-inning walk to Levi Michael -- until the seventh when Josh Allen doubled with one out. But the hurler fanned Urena and Tim Tebow to end the game. The strikeout also snapped Tebow's 12-game hitting streak. 
Even with his pitch count rising and nearing the century mark toward the end of the seventh, Jimenez still delivered imposing stuff up until the last hitter, according to Abbott. He added that being unscored upon over his last 12 1/3 frames was just a bonus. With his first scoreless start since last July 14 with Class A Advanced Salem, Jimenez brought his ERA down to 5.38 and his WHIP to 1.30. Through 98 innings, he has 81 strikeouts and a .255 opponents' batting average.

"You always like to see that, pitch count was getting up late in the game and his stuff didn't back up," Abbott said. "He basically said, 'Look, this is my game and I'm going to finish it with a statement by striking out the last two.' From start to finish, his stuff was there. And he punctuated it with the two strikeouts."
Jordan Betts doubled home No. 11 Red Sox prospectJosh Ockimey in the sixth with the game's only run.
In the second contest, Binghamton flipped the script and claimed a 1-0 win, walking off on Terdoslavich's sacrifice fly in the seventh.