masn-baseballs-orioles.jpgThe Orioles are sending Ubaldo Jiménez to the mound tonight to complete their series in Toronto and their six-game road trip. They’re back home on Friday.
Chris Tillman beat them to Baltimore. Manager Buck Showalter told reporters yesterday that he sent Tillman ahead of the team in preparation for Friday’s scheduled start against the Rays, but it’s tentative with the right-hander’s wife, Christina, due with their first baby.
Dylan Bundy, slated for Saturday afternoon’s start, would…

The Orioles are sending Ubaldo Jiménez to the mound tonight to complete their series in Toronto and their six-game road trip. They’re back home on Friday.

Chris Tillman beat them to Baltimore. Manager Buck Showalter told reporters yesterday that he sent Tillman ahead of the team in preparation for Friday’s scheduled start against the Rays, but it’s tentative with the right-hander’s wife, Christina, due with their first baby.

Dylan Bundy, slated for Saturday afternoon’s start, would replace Tillman Friday night if necessary. Bundy would be working on extra rest no matter how it plays out.

Jiménez would seem to be running out of chances, but how many times have we heard that song? He lasted only 2 1/3 innings Friday night against the Rays, allowing nine runs and seven hits and walking four batters, and raising his ERA to 7.26 in 65 2/3 innings.

Jiménez is 7-5 with a 4.48 ERA in 18 career games against the Blue Jays, including 16 starts, and he’s registered a 6.33 ERA and 1.667 WHIP in 27 innings at Rogers Centre. He takes the mound tonight with the Orioles back under .500 following last night’s 4-0 loss.

Kendrys Morales is 7-for-21 (.333) with two doubles and two home runs lifetime versus Jiménez. Kevin Pilliar is 6-for-18 (.333) with two doubles and Ezequiel Carrera is 4-for-7 with three doubles.

José Bautista is 3-for-38 (.079) with 11 strikeouts. Justin Smoak is 2-for-21 (.095) with 11 strikeouts. Troy Tulowitzski is 1-for-11 (.091). Josh Donaldson is 6-for-29 (.207) with a double, triple, home run and 10 strikeouts.

Left-hander J.A. Happ is making his sixth start since coming off the disabled list. He lost twice to the Orioles in April while allowing four runs in 11 1/3 innings, with no walks and 12 strikeouts.

Happ is 4-5 with a 3.50 ERA and 1.218 WHIP in 14 career games (13 starts) against the Orioles. The current group is batting .214 against him.

Craig Gentry is 4-for-13 (.308) with a double. Manny Machado is 7-for-26 (.269) with a double, triple, two home runs and nine strikeouts. Mark Trumbo is 1-for-16 (.063) with a double and seven strikeouts. Jonathan Schoop is 5-for-24 (.208) with a double.

* I’ve been asked about the Orioles’ reported pursuit of shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria, traded by the Marlins to the Rays earlier this week for minor league center fielder Braxton Lee and right hander Ethan Clark.

hardy-fielding-gray-sidebar.jpgThe Marlins reached out to the Orioles multiple times to check on their interest following J.J. Hardy’s trip to the disabled list with a fractured bone in his wrist. They initiated contact, pushed for it and waited.

The Orioles liked Hechavarria’s glove. Didn’t think much of his bat. But Hardy’s replacements, Paul Janish and Rubén Tejada, aren’t on the roster to provide an offensive boost.

The approximately $2.35 million still owed to Hechavarria this season was an issue, from what I’ve heard. It couldn’t have been the asking price in trade talks unless the Rays wanted more from the Orioles, considering that Lee and Clark weren’t rated by MLB Pipeline among the Rays’ top 30 prospects.

If the Orioles were “in on” Hechavarria, they got out pretty quick. The Rays and Cardinals kept trying.

* Janish has started the last four games. Are the Orioles done evaluating Tejada?

They could prefer having Tejada in a utility role while Janish, who’s capable of playing second and third base, is best utilized at short.

There’s no disputing that Showalter has always liked Janish and endorses having him re-signed as a minor league free agent every winter. Anything that Janish produces at the plate, including his two-run single on Sunday, is considered a bonus.

Janish made a tremendous stop last night on Bautista’s smash up the middle, but his flip to second was late on an attempted force and Schoop committed a throwing error while trying to get the out at first. Janish had a better shot at first with Bautista running, but it’s a split-second decision.

* The Blue Jays signed outfielder Michael Saunders to a minor league deal yesterday after the Phillies designated him for assignment. Saunders will report to Triple-A Buffalo.

The Orioles were interested in Saunders before trading for Seth Smith. His name was on their board at the Winter Meetings and they reviewed his medicals.

They might have maintained interest this week if he could pitch.

Why should everyone else say it?

* I wrote yesterday that Double-A Bowie has five representatives for the Eastern League All-Star Game on July 12 in New Hampshire: Pitchers Tanner Scott and Lucas Long, and infielders Adrian Marin, Aderlin Rodriguez and Garabez Rosa. Scott continues to intrigue the Orioles with his velocity and now he’s finding the plate with more consistency.

Scott, who turns 23 next month, has walked one batter or fewer in four of his last six three-inning starts. He’s walked 29 in 45 innings, compared to 42 walks in 48 1/3 innings with Single-A Frederick last summer and 15 in 16 innings with the Baysox after his promotion.

Scott has allowed seven runs and 26 hits in 45 innings, with 29 walks and 57 strikeouts. He’s surrendered only one home run and opponents are batting .172 against him.

“He’s shown the ability to get himself back on track,” said director of player development Brian Graham. “When he throws a couple balls, he can get the ball back in the strike zone. In the past, that wasn’t the case. Being able to self-correct is huge, and just the ability to throw two pitches for strikes, which is really big. When your velocity is 98-101, strikes are so important.”

Scott could make his major league debut later this summer. The Orioles are at least considering the possibility.

* Don’t be surprised to find outfielder Austin Hays, recently promoted from Single-A Frederick to Double-A Bowie, in the All-Star Futures Game. I’ve heard his name mentioned as a good possibility.

Hays batted .328/.364/.592 with 15 doubles, three triples, 16 home runs and 41 RBIs in 64 games at Frederick. He was 8-for-24 with two doubles and a home run in his first six games with Bowie.

Hays and Frederick shortstop Ryan Mountcastle have to be the first-half leading contenders for the Orioles’ annual award for top minor league player.

* Former Oriole Christian Walker, the first baseman converted unsuccessfully to outfielder, made the Pacific Coast League All-Star team with the Triple-A Reno Aces in the Diamondbacks organization.

Walker, listed at designated hitter, was batting .295/.357/.590 with 22 doubles, four triples, 19 home runs and 78 RBIs in the first 74 games.

The Orioles designated Walker for assignment on Feb. 21 and the Braves claimed him four days later. The Reds claimed him off waivers March 6 and the Diamondbacks claimed him March 28. He was outrighted two days later.

I feel like Walker, whose 78 RBIs led the minors going into last night’s games, deserved some sort of honor after what he endured.

* In case you missed it on Tuesday, the Orioles released infielder Jesus Montero from his contract at Triple-A Norfolk.

Montero, formerly a top catching prospect in the Yankees’ system, was 7-for-49 (.143) in 13 games after serving his 50-game suspension for testing positive for the banned stimulant dimethylbutylamine back in September.