Castillo on Jackson: "He's a great teammate, a great person"

After the media scrum broke up yesterday at Edwin Jackson's locker and he could breathe again, and also change into his Orioles batting practice attire, I introduced myself and asked whether he knew anyone in the clubhouse.

The guy was joining his 12th team. I felt like the odds were pretty good.

Jackson made sure to repeat my first name, never an easy task for the newbies, and said that he couldn't think of anyone off the top of his head. His world was still spinning. Less than 24 hours after sitting in the visiting bullpen at Gwinnett, he was back in the majors and no longer preoccupied with opt-out clauses or subjected to long bus rides.

I didn't press him. I knew that I could handle the research myself after getting back to my laptop, or just check every nameplate in the room and actually give it some thought. It was more of an ice-breaker than a formal request for information.

Not long after I walked away, Jackson spotted catcher Welington Castillo heading toward an exit and raced after him with a huge smile on his face. Jackson turned toward me after they embraced, pointed and began to remind me of the question.

The words barely left his mouth when I nodded at him. No need to continue.

Yes, he found one.

Jackson and Castillo were teammates with the Cubs from 2013-15. Jackson signed a four-year, $52 million deal as a free agent, went 16-34 with a 5.37 ERA in 82 games, lost his spot in the rotation and was released in July 2015.

But there were good times, too.

"He's a great teammate, a great person," Castillo said. "As a teammate, he was one of the best guys that I played with. He's a great guy, a great person and he'll go out there and compete. He's going to give you everything he's got that day and I'm really happy having him here."

Center fielder Adam Jones has known Jackson for many years and finally gets a chance to play on the same side. The feedback that he's received always has been positive.

"Everywhere he's been, I've always heard that he's a great teammate," Jones said. "Even though the tribulations."

Jackson's flashes of excellence make it easier to find interested teams, but so does the impression he leaves at each stop.

"You have to be good at pitching and you have to be good in the clubhouse and be well-thought of, because there's nothing like reputation that travels quickly," said manager Buck Showalter. "And we all maybe at one stage in our career were thought of differently, but it seems like we get older and people all of a sudden think we're smarter. But it's just more experienced."

* Alec Asher has 16 career starts on his major league resume and two have come against the Nationals, bringing polar opposite results.

Asher allowed four runs and seven hits over five innings in a 12-2 loss on Sept. 16, 2015 in Philadelphia. He tossed six scoreless innings, with only two hits surrendered, in a 4-1 win on Sept. 18, 2016 in D.C.

Tonight marks Asher's return to Nationals Park. The memories are mixed.

He can focus on his stellar outing with the Phillies or the two-run homer he surrendered to Michael A. Taylor while working the eighth inning of a May 10 game that went horribly wrong for the Orioles.

Taylor's homer reduced the Orioles' lead to 6-4 and Brad Brach allowed three runs in the ninth for the walk-off loss. Asher struck out the side, but Taylor's shot to left field sparked the comeback.

Asher is 1-1 with a 3.75 ERA in three career appearances versus the Nats, with five runs and 10 hits in 12 innings. Three of his four starts for the Orioles this season have been quality outings, most recently when he held the Red Sox to two runs and three hits over 6 1/3 innings in a 3-2 win at Camden Yards.

Asher is going to attack the strike zone, much to the delight of his manager. He's walked only eight batters in 37 1/3 innings. He's also hit six, a total that tied him last night for the major league lead.

Daniel Murphy is 2-for-4 with a double and home run off Asher. Bryce Harper is 1-for-6, but still insisting that he has better hair.

The Orioles lost their scheduled off-day with a May 11 postponement in D.C. They'll play tonight and head to New York for a three-game weekend series.

Joe Ross is 2-2 with a 7.34 ERA and 1.663 WHIP in six starts over 30 2/3 innings. He's allowed 25 earned runs (26 total) and 44 hits, with seven walks and 29 strikeouts.

Ross has lasted 4 2/3, four, four and three innings in four of those starts. In his last two, he's surrendered a combined 11 earned runs (12 total) and 19 hits in seven innings. He's also served up three home runs.

The Orioles have faced Ross only once and it was a relief appearance that lasted 1 1/3 innings. He walked a batter.

Rubén Tejada is 1-for-8 with two strikeouts against Ross. J.J. Hardy walked in his only plate appearance and Jonathan Schoop is 0-for-1.

The Orioles will lean heavily on video and their scouting reports.

Left-handers are batting .308 versus Ross in his career. Right-handers are batting .223.

Manny Machado is expected to undergo an MRI on his left hand after X-rays last night were negative. He isn't out of the woods yet.

The Orioles would like to get another infielder in place, unsure whether they're going to be short one in D.C. They can't bring back Paul Janish unless he's replacing someone who's headed to the disabled list.