DUNEDIN, Fla. — Newly signed Orioles slugger Pedro Alvarez doesn't look like he showed up three weeks into spring training.

He started at first base Tuesday and drove in the first run in the Orioles' 6-6 tie with the Toronto Blue Jays at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium.

Lest anyone forget, Alvarez hit a long double with his first contact of the exhibition season and drove home former college teammate Ryan Flaherty in Sunday's game against the Minnesota Twins in Fort Myers. He did exactly the same thing Tuesday, following up a first-inning walk by Flaherty and a single by Jonathan Schoop with a line drive off the left-field fence that scored Flaherty for the first run of the game.

Alvarez followed that up with a fly ball in the third inning on which Blue Jays right fielder Darrell Ceciliani made a terrific diving catch.

Right-hander Chris Tillman made his first Grapefruit League start and struggled through 12/3 innings, giving up two runs on five hits. He struck out one batter and walked three in a performance that required 51 pitches, 29 of them strikes.

Designated hitter Jose Bautista and first baseman Chris Colabello each drove in a run with a single for the Blue Jays.

The Orioles rallied from a two-run deficit with four runs in the eighth inning, two on a home run by minor league prospect Alfredo Marte and the others on a double by journeyman Xavier Avery and a single by infielder Garabez Rosa.

The Blue Jays answered with a run in the eighth and one in the ninth to forge a tie.

Rule 5 ruler: Outfielder Joey Rickard is making a strong case for staying on the major league roster, which he has to do if the Orioles want to keep him. Since he's a Rule 5 draft pick, he must make the team or be put on waivers. That won't be a problem if he continues to play the way he has so far this spring.

He had two more hits Tuesday to raise his Grapefruit League batting average to .294. He also stole a base and continues to show he can hold his own in the field. Everybody knows how much the Orioles love to hang on to their Rule 5 selections.

Marte's late-inning highlights: Marte took full advantage of his late entrance into Tuesday's game. He took over for Christian Walker in left field and moved into the cleanup spot after Alvarez got three plate appearances.

In the seventh inning, Marte made a great diving catch to rob Jays outfielder Domonic Brown of a hit, then came up in the eighth and launched a long, game-tying two-run homer over the left-field fence.

Manager Buck Showalter has said some nice things about Marte over the past couple of weeks, and why not? He has played in 12 exhibition games and has seven hits in 19 at-bats for a .368 batting average.

—?Peter Schmuck