Needing another left-handed reliever in their bullpen, the Orioles have recalled T.J. McFarland from Triple-A Norfolk and optioned Oliver Drake to the Tides. McFarland will join the Orioles tonight in Houston. McFarland, 25, will begin his second stint with the Orioles this season. He went 0-1 with a 3.60 ERA in five appearances, allowing two earned runs (six total) and striking out eight over five innings. In seven starts with Norfolk this season, McFarland went 2-2 with a 3.99 ERA in 29 1/3...

The Orioles have traded outfielder Alejandro De Aza to the Red Sox for cash considerations, according to an industry source. De Aza was designated for assignment on May 27 to make room for infielder Ryan Flaherty on the 25-man roster. De Aza, 31, batted .214/.277/.359 (22-for-103) with three home runs and seven RBIs in 30 games with the Orioles this season. He served as their leadoff hitter on opening day. De Aza was the only Oriole among 11 arbitration-eligible players this spring to go to a...

The Nationals ran into a familiar face last week while in Cincinnati. Former Nats Manager Jim Riggleman, who served as manager from 2009 to 2011, caught up with general manager Mike Rizzo and reflected on his time with the ballclub. Riggleman is now the Reds' third base coach, after serving as a minor league manager in their system for a couple of seasons. According to reports, Riggleman doesn't harbor any ill will against the club and is happy to be working in baseball, regardless of the...

Right-hander Taylor Jordan makes his first start for the Nationals this evening as they attempt to claim the finale of the three-game interleague set with the Blue Jays. Jordan is filling Stephen Strasburg's spot in the rotation after the right-hander was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left trapezius muscle. Jordan's only appearance this season came in relief of Strasburg last Friday. He was called on in emergency duty shortly after the second inning began when Strasburg...

Nationals ace Max Scherzer gave up two homers in a game for the first time this season in Game 2 of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Blue Jays, a 7-3 loss. Scherzer last allowed more than one homer in a game on Aug. 30 of last season at the White Sox. Blue Jays center fielder Kevin Pillar hit both of the round trippers, a solo shot in the second that made it 1-0 Toronto and a game-changing three-run homer in the sixth that gave them a 4-3 lead. Pillar said it was the first time in his career...

Like his team, Adam Jones got off to a hot hitting start in April, but his bat trailed off in May. When Jones was going through a torrid hitting stretch earlier this year, some analysts felt one reason for the hot bat was improved plate discipline for the Orioles center fielder. There was some justification in saying that. This year, Jones' walk rate is up a bit and his strikeout rate is down significantly. Strikeout rate is the percentage of a times a batter strikes out among all his plate...

Brian Matusz's suspension appeal hearing will take place later today in Houston. The Orioles reliever is seeking a reduction of the eight games handed down by Major League Baseball. I doubt that the entire suspension will melt away, but perhaps he can whittle it. The club will have to decide whether to go with a six-man bullpen or three-man bench in Matusz's absence. It could do both, of course, on a game-by-game basis. They're likely to start with a short bench. * Bud Norris could return to...

After rolling off five straight victories, Nationals ace Max Scherzer was bound to hit a bump in the road. It just didn't figure to come from Blue Jays center fielder Kevin Pillar, who tagged Scherzer for two costly homers in the Nats' 7-3 loss in Game 2 of Tuesday's split doubleheader. Through 52 games this year, Pillar hit two homers. By the sixth inning tonight, the 26-year-old had matched his season total of longballs. The hardest part for Scherzer was both of Pillar's blasts came with...

The Nationals decided right before Game 2 of their doubleheader with the Blue Jays on Tuesday that center fielder Denard Span would not play to give his sore right knee another full day to rest. An MRI revealed no significant damage, but there was still swelling and soreness. Manager Matt Williams made the call to keep his starting center fielder out of the lineup. "Just sore. Not gonna push him in that regard," Williams said following a 7-3 loss to Toronto in the nightcap. "So we'll see...

The Orioles have reached a low point for their 2015 season. They have fallen five games under the .500 mark for the first time with tonight's 6-4 loss at Houston. The Orioles fall to 23-28 and are 0-4 since a walk-off victory at home on Friday night. There was much frustration with this one. They lost a 4-0 lead. They got just two runners on base after the second inning, and one was via a walk. They made another baserunning mistake when Travis Snider apparently lost track of the outs and was...