I passed along Scott Copeland's reverse splits in my morning blog entry, suggesting that the Orioles might want to load up on right-handers against the Toronto starter. Left-handers were hitting .259 against him, but righties were batting .333. With Adam Jones out of the lineup, manager Buck Showalter put David Lough in center field and inserted switch-hitting Jimmy Paredes as the designated hitter. He started Travis Snider in left, Chris Parmelee in right, Chris Davis at first base, Ryan...

Today, the Orioles will try to win a series in Toronto in which they start a pitcher they did not draft and face a Blue Jays team starting one they did. Chris Tillman (5-7, 5.58 ERA) pitches against right-hander Scott Copeland (1-1, 2.57 ERA). Tillman is 0-3 this year with an ERA of 12.51 against Toronto. He has allowed seven runs in two starts, and five runs in the other, this year versus the Blue Jays. Tillman has allowed a batting average of .356 against Toronto with an opponent OPS of 1.118...

The Nationals reinstated right-hander Tanner Roark from the Paternity List (on Father's Day no less) and optioned righty Taylor Hill back to Triple-A Syracuse. Yunel Escobar is back at third base while Anthony Rendon sits today. Danny Espinosa gets the start at second base where he made a spectacular defensive play yesterday to get Pedro Alvarez out at first base, preserving Max Scherzer's perfect game at the time and eventual no-hitter. Jose Tabata starts today for the Pirates after...

The Orioles announced the signings of two more picks from the 2015 First-Year Player Draft, adding left-hander Garrett Cleavinger (third round) and right-hander Gray Fenter (seventh). They've got 30 of their selections under contract. The Orioles are listing Thursday's starter at Fenway Park as TBD, but it's expected to be Miguel Gonzalez, who allowed two runs and four hits over five innings last night at Double-A Bowie. He walked one and struck out four. Ubaldo Jimenez opposes Joe Kelly on...

The Orioles today announced that they have recalled right-hander Oliver Drake from Triple-A Norfolk and optioned right-hander Kevin Gausman to Triple-A Norfolk. Drake, 28, made his major league debut with the Orioles this season on May 23 at Miami, tossing 3.0 scoreless innings. He went 0-0 with a 3.52 ERA (7.2IP, 3ER) in five games with the Orioles. This will be his second stint with Baltimore this season. In 21 games with the Tides, Drake went 0-1 with a 0.76 ERA (23.2IP, 2ER). Gausman, 24,...

The Orioles made another roster move today, recalling reliever Oliver Drake from Triple-A Norfolk and optioning Kevin Gausman. Gausman threw 91 pitches in five innings yesterday in his first start with the Orioles. Miguel Gonzalez and Wei-Yin Chen will be coming off the disabled list this week, and the Orioles needed a spot opened in the rotation. Drake also gives them a fresh bullpen arm. Drake, 28, made his major league debut on May 23 at Miami, tossing three scoreless innings. He went 0-0...

Max Scherzer threw the second no-hitter in Nationals history and beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-0 Saturday at Nationals Park. Given that Scherzer had pitched a one-hit 4-0 shutout in Milwaukee in his previous start, it is a good argument that Scherzer has put together the greatest two-game accomplishment in history. Scherzer's performances invite comparisons to Johnny Vander Meer, the Cincinnati Reds starter who threw consecutive no-hitters in 1938. Vander Meer, a lefty, had 11 walks and 11...

Jose Tabata simply ruined Max Scherzer's bid for perfection in a way that some would say is weak or cheap. With Scherzer standing one strike away from becoming just the 24th pitcher in Major League Baseball's storied history to spin a complete game without allowing a single baserunner, Tabata compromised the game's integrity. The electricity of a closing thunderstorm rivaled the moment with a sold-out crowd of 41,104 fans on their feet, screaming in anticipation as the Nationals ace...

A few notes this morning on O's minor leaguers, some draft pick news and a few notes on the Orioles: * The Orioles drafted third baseman Jason Esposito in the second round in 2011 out of Vanderbilt. He won a minor league Gold Glove for his defensive play at Single-A Frederick last year. But earlier this week, Esposito told club officials he is retiring from baseball. After playing the last two seasons with Frederick, Esposito began this year with Double-A Bowie. After 47 games, he was batting...

Six days ago, Max Scherzer's bid for perfection was ruined on a broken-bat bloop single in the seventh inning. Scherzer, in the proverbial zone, carried his dominant swagger into this afternoon where he fell one strike shy of perfect game before finishing off his first career no-hitter in the Nationals' 6-0 win over the Pirates. "Let's go. Let's get on the mound, I'm coming after you," said Scherzer on his mindset entering the ninth inning. Scherzer had thrown just 92 pitches entering...