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Orioles recall McFarland; Jones sits again on Wednesday

Luke Jones

The Orioles tinkered with their bullpen yet again prior to Wednesday’s game in Boston by recalling left-handed pitcher T.J. McFarland and optioning right-hander Oliver Drake to Triple-A Norfolk. After spending the required 10 days with the Tides upon being sent down on June 14, McFarland brings more length to a bullpen that’s worked hard in recent weeks. Drake was recalled from Norfolk on Sunday but did not appear in a game in his latest stint with the Orioles. McFarland sports a 1.93 ERA in 9 1/3 innings for the Orioles this season, but that mark is deceiving as the 26-year-old southpaw has allowed 12 hits and issued eight walks, numbers that have earned him a 4.71 Fielding Independent Pitching (FIP) mark. The former Rule 5 pick settled into a long relief role last season while posting a 2.76 ERA in 58 2/3 innings of work, but his control issues have been problematic in 2015. The Orioles will need to make another roster move on Thursday with starting pitcher Miguel Gonzalez scheduled to return from the disabled list to start against the Red Sox. Right-handed pitcher Mychal Givens is expected to be sent back to the minors to make room, returning

Jones falls, Machado climbs in latest All-Star voting update

Luke Jones

While the Kansas City Royals continue to dominate the All-Star voting in the American League, the Orioles’ chances of securing a starter appear bleaker. In the latest AL voting update released on Monday, four-time All-Star selection Adam Jones fell to seventh among outfielders and trails the third-place Alex Gordon by nearly 3 million votes. The 29-year-old center fielder ranked fifth among outfielders in last week’s update. In the midst of his best season, the 22-year-old Manny Machado climbed to fourth among AL third baseman but trails the first-place Mike Moustakas by nearly 8 million votes. While seven Kansas City players are currently slated to be starters — Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera and Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout are the only non-Royals — the Orioles had no other players appear among the leaders. Voting concludes on July 2 with the 2015 All-Star Game set for July 14 in Cincinnati. Here is the latest AL voting update for the #ASG: pic.twitter.com/AcT8hF7krb — MLB Communications (@MLB_PR) June 22, 2015 Let’s just take a moment to remember we’re living in a world in which 6,521,733 votes have been cast for a second baseman rocking a .549 OPS. As Buck Showalter put it, Royals second

Webb aiming to put difficult 2014 campaign behind him

Luke Jones

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Ravens cornerback Lardarius Webb knows this is a critical season for his NFL future. Though he restructured the remaining three years of his current contract to provide the organization extra cap space earlier this offseason, the 29-year-old knows he probably won’t survive a repeat of last year when he missed training camp and three of the first four games of the regular season due to a lower back injury. When he did play, Webb appeared slow and struggled in pass coverage for much of the season as the Ravens were dealt a plethora of injuries at cornerback and finished 23rd in the league in pass defense. Reporting for this week’s mandatory minicamp, Webb appears slimmer and had a strong practice on Wednesday, breaking up several passes and playing tight coverage in 11-on-11 drills. Entering his seventh season in Baltimore, the 2009 third-round pick isn’t taking his newfound health for granted. “It feels good just to be able to run around and [not] have any pain,” Webb said. “But right now, we’re just working on the secondary [and] just putting the work in to get us back to where we’re supposed to be.” The healthy returns of

Gausman to start for Orioles on Saturday

Luke Jones

After beginning the season in the bullpen and spending the last six weeks on the disabled list, Orioles pitcher Kevin Gausman will make his first start of the season in Toronto on Saturday. The 24-year-old will slide into the rotation spot previously occupied by lefty Wei-Yin Chen, who was temporarily optioned to Single-A Frederick to make room on the 25-man roster for outfielder Chris Parmelee on Tuesday. Gausman has been on the 15-day DL since May 8 while dealing with right shoulder tendinitis, but the Orioles have used the last couple weeks to once again stretch him out as a starter. On Tuesday, Gausman pitched two innings for Frederick, allowing a solo homer on the first pitch of the game and striking out two while walking none. The right-hander threw 29 pitches and equated the abbreviated outing to a glorified bullpen session he would normally complete between starts. When asked Tuesday if he had been stretched out enough to start, Gausman estimated that he should be ready to throw 80 or 85 pitches at this point after following the work routine of a starter for a few weeks. In 12 innings in relief earlier this season, Gausman posted a 4.50

Jones sits out Tuesday’s game with shoulder issue

Luke Jones

BALTIMORE — You wouldn’t know it by simply viewing the final score, but the Orioles were without their best player in Tuesday’s 19-3 win over the Philadelphia Phillies. Center fielder Adam Jones was out of the lineup with a right shoulder injury suffered when the 29-year-old was diving headfirst for a ball late in Monday’s 4-0 victory. Manager Buck Showalter said Jones underwent a magnetic resonance imaging exam, but it didn’t reveal anything too concerning moving forward. “Everything is serious when Adam Jones misses a game, but nothing structurally that he shouldn’t be able to come back from,” Showalter said. “The question is when, whether it’s tomorrow or the next day or in Toronto. But I feel confident it will be one of those three days.” David Lough took over in center field and hit one of eight Orioles home runs to set a new single-game franchise record on Tuesday. The 29-year-old Jones missed only his third contest of the season as Baltimore wrapped up a 7-1 homestand to climb to two games above .500 for the first time since April 19. Jones sat out two games in late May after spraining his ankle in the first game of a

Orioles release infielder Everth Cabrera

Luke Jones

BALTIMORE — After designating veteran Everth Cabrera for assignment last week, the Orioles officially announced his release prior to Saturday’s game against the New York Yankees. In 29 games this season, Cabrera batted .208 with two doubles, four RBIs, two stolen bases, and a .479 on-base plus slugging percentage. The 28-year-old was signed to a one-year, $2.4 million contract in late February and filled in for the injured J.J. Hardy for the first month of the season. The Orioles hoped that Cabrera might provide an upgrade as a utility infielder or potential competition for the 23-year-old Jonathan Schoop at second base, but the former San Diego Padre struggled immensely at the plate and didn’t provide as much defensive versatility as utility man Ryan Flaherty. On the hook for the remainder of Cabrera’s 2015 salary, the Orioles have now parted ways with their second veteran player this month after trading outfielder Alejandro De Aza to the Boston Red Sox on June 3. Manager Buck Showalter expects Cabrera to draw plenty of interest from other clubs as a free agent. The infielder had a minor-league option at the beginning of the season but had since accrued his fifth full year of service

Gonzalez leaves Tuesday’s start with groin strain

Luke Jones

BALTIMORE — Orioles starting pitcher Miguel Gonzalez departed in the fifth inning of Tuesday night’s game against the Boston Red Sox with a right groin strain. After allowing a leadoff double and inducing a ground out, Gonzalez was met at the mound by manager Buck Showalter and head trainer Richie Bancells and walked to the dugout a few moments later. The Baltimore starter had thrown 89 pitches and said he began feeling the discomfort when he retired Mookie Betts on a fly ball to end the top of the fourth. Now, the club must decide whether they will need to place Gonzalez on the 15-day disabled list. Starting pitcher Bud Norris was just activated from the DL on Sunday after nearly a month-long absence due to bronchitis. “Miguel had this before [in 2012] and missed a start, but I think we were working with an off-day there if I remember,” Showalter said. “It’s the same groin. I was talking to him before I came down here. It’s very similar. I don’t think it’s something real long, but we’ll have to make a decision between now and [Wednesday]. We’ll talk about it some more after we get done here.” In the

Orioles select Florida State outfielder D.J. Stewart with first pick

Luke Jones

Trying to stock a farm system short on position player talent, the Orioles selected Florida State outfielder DJ Stewart with the 25th overall pick of the 2015 draft on Monday night. The 6-foot, 230-pound 2014 Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year was the first position player selected in the first round by the Orioles since Manny Machado in 2010 and the first college position player in the opening round since Matt Wieters in 2007. Stewart led the nation in walks and owned a .500 on-base percentage while hitting 15 home runs and driving in 59 runs in 64 games as a junior for the Seminoles this past season. Questionable arm strength projects Stewart to be a left fielder as a professional with some speculating that his weight could facilitate an eventual move to first base. Some scouts have expressed concern with the deep crouch from which Stewart hits, but the left-handed batter was a consistent and disciplined hitter who showed solid power throughout his collegiate career. Drafted by the New York Yankees in the 28th round of the 2012 draft, the Jacksonville, Fla. product instead elected to go to college. Not the physical specimen you typically find in a

Orioles preparing to promote Reimold on Tuesday

Luke Jones

As they continue to receive abysmal production in left field, the Orioles are prepared to add a familiar name to the outfield mix. Multiple outlets reported Monday that outfielder Nolan Reimold is expected to have his contract selected from Triple-A Norfolk in time for the start of a three-game set with the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday night. Signed to a minor-league contract in the offseason, the 31-year-old had an opt-out clause he could exercise next month and the Orioles are still searching for solutions at the corner outfield positions. Orioles left fielders are hitting just .200 with four home runs and a .550 on-base plus slugging percentage this season with a number of players failing to provide consistent production. In 194 plate appearances for the Tides this season, Reimold was hitting .286 with two home runs, 12 doubles, 13 RBIs, five stolen bases, and a .739 OPS. After a slow start, the 2005 second-round pick is hitting .422 over his last 14 games in the International League. A well-documented injury history prevented Reimold from realizing his once-encouraging potential when he hit .279 with 15 homers and an .831 OPS as a 25-year-old rookie with the Orioles in 2009. While

Orioles go with short bench to activate Norris from DL

Luke Jones

With Bud Norris being activated to make his first start since May 10, the Orioles optioned infielder Rey Navarro to Triple-A Norfolk prior to Sunday’s game in Cleveland. Since left-handed reliever Brian Matusz is in the midst of serving an eight-game suspension, the Orioles are playing a man short until next Sunday and will use a short bench as a result. Infielders J.J. Hardy and Ryan Flaherty are feeling better after recent health issues, so the Orioles could use Steve Pearce at second base with Flaherty backing up Hardy at shortstop. The Orioles could shuffle their roster some more over the next week since left-handed pitcher T.J. McFarland possesses minor-league options in the bullpen. Right-hander Kevin Gausman made the first start of his rehab assignment on Saturday, pitching four scoreless innings while allowing one hit, striking out four, and walking none. He threw 40 pitches, 32 of them strikes. His next rehab start will come Thursday for Double-A Bowie where he’s expected to pitch four or five innings. Gausman could become an option for the Baltimore starting rotation at any point after that outing or he could continue to pitch in the minor leagues.

Hardy expected to return to lineup on Friday night

Luke Jones

Despite being out of the starting lineup for four consecutive games with a left oblique injury, Orioles shortstop J.J. Hardy is expected to play in the series opener against the Cleveland Indians on Friday night. Feeling good after taking swings prior to Thursday afternoon’s game against Houston, Hardy deemed himself ready to play, but manager Buck Showalter elected to start him on the bench for one more game. The 32-year-old did enter in the ninth inning as a defensive replacement in the 3-2 win over the Astros to snap a five-game losing streak. Showalter confirmed after the game that Hardy would be in Friday’s starting lineup. Of course, the Orioles will still proceed with caution in fear of the veteran infielder experiencing a setback. Hardy will be joined in the lineup by veteran catcher Matt Wieters, who will be making his return to the Orioles after last playing in a major league game on May 10, 2014.

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