Tillman struggling early, note on Gamboa (updated)

Chris Tillman thought he gave up a single and double to the first two Toronto batters this afternoon.

It was actually worse than that, with umpires reversing the call on Dalton Pompey's fly ball to right field and awarding him a two-run homer.

The crew chief review lasted 2 minutes, 2 seconds. The scoreless tie didn't make it that long.

Tillman threw 32 pitches in the first and allowed two runs and four hits. Jose Reyes, Edwin Encarnacion and Dioner Navarro singled. Pompey slammed a ball off the railing atop the out-of-town scoreboard.

Tillman returned for the second inning with the game tied again. Steve Pearce was hit by a pitch from Blue Jays right-hander Drew Hutchison and Adam Jones homered to center field with two outs, an 89 mph fastball redirected in a hurry.

Jones tied Brady Anderson for second place on the all-time Camden Yards home run list with 91. Rafael Palmeiro is first with 124.

Again, the tie didn't last long. Kevin Pillar led off the top of the second with a home run to give Toronto a 3-2 lead.

Tillman has thrown 45 pitches, 30 for strikes, in two innings. He's allowed three runs and six hits.

Eddie Gamboa is back in the bullpen today after arriving in the middle of last night's game. He flew from Charlotte after finding out at 3 p.m. from Triple-A Norfolk manager Ron Johnson that the Orioles were recalling him.

"I wasn't stressed too much, just kind of go, swing along with it," he said. "I didn't have too much time to think. The moment R.J. told me, it was 'Hey, you're going. Pack your stuff. You've got to go now.' Got on the plane, got off, the guys were moving quickly, so I didn't have too much time to really take it all in.

"I think when it really kicked in, when I was done shaking everybody's hand, I think (Manny) Machado got a base hit, or something happened on the field where the crowd went crazy, and I turned around and that's kind of when it kicked in. It was a great feeling and I was happy to be out there.

"It was about three o'clock in Charlotte, so, yeah, but again it's why you're there. You're there for these situations if they need us and I was just fortunate that it was me and hopefully try to do whatever they need to try and help this team win."

Gamboa's stay will be brief and he may not get to make his major league debut. The Orioles are expected to activate outfielder David Lough from the disabled list on Monday, unless they decide he needs another rehab game at Single-A Frederick.

Gamboa knew about Wesley Wright's shoulder injury, but he didn't assume that it would impact him.

"You don't really think about those things because they have 12 (pitchers) already, so you don't really think about those issues," he said. "My thing was getting ready for Monday's start against Gwinnett. Again, that's why we're there on the farm. If anything happens, where is the next available guy? I was fortunate for it to be me.

"It's unfortunate what happened to Wesley Wright, but hopefully he recovers fast and comes back to top shape."

Gamboa has appeared in 183 games over seven minor league seasons. He's been outrighted off the 40-man roster and re-signed by the Orioles. He was talked into developing a knuckleball in order to save his career.

His road to the majors had plenty of twists and potholes.

"It has been a long wait," he said. "Being down in the minor leagues, it was a long, long trip here, but I'm happy to be here. It's fully worth it and it's a humbling feeling. Again, seven years in the minor leagues is a long time, but it's definitely worth it."

Update: Tillman lasted only 2 2/3 innings and was charged with seven runs (three earned) and six hits, with three walks, one strikeout and two home runs. He threw 79 pitches, 47 for strikes.

Tillman walked the bases loaded in the third, but he appeared to escape the jam when Devon Travis lined to right fielder Travis Snider. However, the ball cleared Snider's head for an error and three runs scored.

Kevin Gausman replaced Tillman and gave up Jose Reyes' RBI single, the final run charged to Tillman.

The Orioles fought back to score twice in the bottom of the third on RBI singles by Chris Davis and Jones. They trail 7-4 in the top of the fourth.