BALTIMORE -- Ubaldo Jimenez will move back to the Orioles' rotation and start on Sunday, with Alec Asher going to the bullpen in hopes of helping to solidify an inconsistent relief crew.
"Ash did a good job there, presented himself well as a starter sometimes," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said of Asher, who pitched to a 6.98 ERA in six starts this year. "I think it's as much Ubaldo pitches and needs 3 or 4 days off. It put us in a tough spot in the 'pen. Plus, he's shown a history of responding well after a little time down there. It's as much for the bullpen as it is for Ubaldo."
With starting pitchers -- outside of Dylan Bundy -- who have struggled to consistently go deep into games, the O's have been forced to make moves daily, and sometimes more than one to keep the relief group from being overworked. Putting Asher, who pitched to a 1.62 ERA in nine relief outings (16 2/3 innings), back into the bullpen should provide a more consistent long relief option.

Jimenez has made eight starts for the Orioles this season, going 1-2 with a 7.17 ERA, with one quality start. He has pitched in 13 career games as a reliever, posting a 5.94 ERA. He'll face the Cardinals in Sunday's series finale.
"Ubaldo has responded well to some time in the bullpen; see if that happens again," Showalter said. "[I] really want to try to see if we can solidify the bullpen a little bit in terms of some movement there."