Borbon outrighted, plus other notes

The Orioles got their wish and were able to keep outfielder Julio Borbon in the organization.

Borbon cleared waivers and was outrighted to Double-A Bowie today, one day after the Orioles made the same move with outfielder Henry Urrutia.

Borbon was designated for assignment on Tuesday after going 2-for-9 with a run scored in five games with the Orioles. He was removed from the 25-man roster on the same day that the Orioles reinstated pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez from the paternity leave list and decided to go with 13 pitchers.

Manager Buck Showalter mentioned that Borbon expressed a desire to stay in the organization if unclaimed. The Orioles, in turn, wanted to hold onto a veteran who can play all three outfield spots and is a plus runner.

The Orioles re-signed Borbon to another minor league deal on March 13. He's batting .289/.353/.373 with seven doubles, two triples, five home runs and 20 RBIs in 83 games with Bowie.

Another starting pitcher came off the market this morning when the Padres traded Andrew Cashner to the Marlins in a seven-player deal. The Orioles scouted him heavily and also had interest over the winter, though they ended up with Odrisamer Despaigne.

They also continue to track Phillies starter Jeremy Hellickson, whose price keeps going up as more pitchers are removed from a thin market. He's 56-55 over seven major league seasons, but it's always wise to look past the record. Focus more on the 3.90 ERA, with his first five seasons spent with the Rays in the American League East.

Hellickson was named AL Rookie of the Year in 2011 after going 13-10 with a 2.95 ERA in 29 starts.

Scouts question how Hellickson would fare at Camden Yards on a regular basis. He's served up 19 home runs in 125 2/3 innings after allowing 22 last season in 146 innings with the Diamondbacks.

Hellickson is 3-2 with a 5.01 ERA in nine career games (eight starts) at Camden Yards. He's surrendered nine home runs and posted a 1.543 WHIP in 46 2/3 innings.

The real issue is how the Orioles will outbid other teams with deeper farm systems or more available prospects. Which young pitchers could be packaged for Hellickson, who's making $7 million in the final year of his contract?

Hellickson is represented by agent Scott Boras.

The Orioles' primary concern now centers on an offense that's produced only 45 runs in the last 16 games and nine in the last four.

Chris Davis is 3-for-7 in his last two games, but he's collected only five hits in his last 37 at-bats, with seven walks and 16 strikeouts. He's 12-for-73 (.164) this month with a double, three home runs, seven RBIs, 13 walks and 31 strikeouts.

The good news, as I wrote earlier today, is that Davis is a career .303/.396/.683 hitter against the Blue Jays with 27 doubles and 35 home runs in 347 at-bats, and a .340/.436/.763 hitter at Rogers Centre with 15 doubles and 17 home runs in 156 at-bats.

Mark Trumbo has nine hits in his last 52 at-bats with two home runs and 11 strikeouts. Matt Wieters is 3-for-25, and he's batting .135 (7-for-52) with a double and one RBI in July.

Jonathan Schoop is 0-for-12 in his last three games, which barely gains notice compared to other slumps.

J.J .Hardy has 16 hits in his last 45 at-bats, with seven multi-hit games in that stretch. He's batting .355 (27-for-76) this month with five doubles, two home runs and 12 RBIs.

Hardy is a career .249 hitter in July, his second-lowest average for any month. He's a .222 hitter in March/April.

Adam Jones is 6-for-14 with a double, two home runs and five RBIs in his last four games. Pedro Alvarez has notched three three-hit games this month, the most recent last night in Minnesota.