Orioles recall McFarland, option Drake

BOSTON -- The Orioles recalled lefty reliever T.J. McFarland before Wednesday's game against the Red Sox, optioning reliever Oliver Drake back to Triple-A Norfolk.

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"Oliver has gone seven or eight days without pitching; we need to get the ball back in his hand," Baltimore manager Buck Showalter said of Drake, who was recalled before Sunday's game to bolster the bullpen. "He served a good purpose here, allowed us to do some things in Toronto that we wouldn't have been able to do if we didn't have him and Mychal [Givens] there."

McFarland has gone 0-1 with a 1.93 ERA (9 1/3 innings) in 10 games with Baltimore this season. In nine games (seven starts) at Triple-A, he was 2-2 with a 3.41 ERA and has been working out of the bullpen lately. McFarland didn't allow a hit over his last two appearances in Norfolk, spanning five innings.

"It's good because then I can get used to doing the same role that I'm doing to help the team here," McFarland said of the move to the 'pen.

"We knew, especially they've got some lefties. Cleveland is loaded left-handed and so is Texas," Showalter said. "And they are getting ready to call Josh Hamilton up. … Just wanted some length more than anything. Mac has shown he can do that job. Just wanted him to come into an inning some down there [in Triple-A] as opposed to start one."

Drake did not appear in a game on this callup and has 3.52 ERA in five games (7 2/3 innings) with Baltimore this year.