Vintage Ubaldo Jimenez might mean many things to many people, depending on your baseline memory for the Orioles’ highest-paid starting pitcher over the last two-plus seasons.
You might only remember the constant frustration of his first season with the team in 2014, and then the flashes of his best form mixed in with a few bad months in 2015.
The Jimenez who debuted for the Orioles on Thursday was much more like the one that made him an All-Star before he arrived here. Unlike most pitchers, who falter the third time through the batting order, Jimenez didn’t see any drop-off once the Twins lineup turned over a third time.