Baz Dominates His Former Team And Orioles Secure Series Win Over Rays

Shane Baz dominated the Tampa Bay Rays in his first outing against his former team last week, and about 12 batters into Tuesday’s game there was reason to believe Round Two wouldn’t go nearly as well.

Baz surrendered a run in the first inning, gave up hard contact off his cutter and fastball and knuckle curve in the second and in the third Rays slugger Junior Caminero smashed a ball 117 off the bat for a hit and Jonathan Aranda followed that up with a single traveling 104 mph off the bat. But the Orioles big offseason trade target leaned hard into that knuckle curve, he ended up striking out the side in the third and that propelled Baz to his best outing as an Oriole by far.

Baltimore capitalized on walk-off wins on Sunday and Monday to extend that momentum by besting Tampa in all phases of play Tuesday, 6-1, at Camden Yards, reeling off four wins in the first five games of this vital 10-game homestand. The Rays committed two more early errors to fall behind (they committed five in the first 15 innings of this series) and Baz, struggling to get swing-and-miss most of the season, absolutely shoved.

"Really impressive," rookie skipper Craig Albernaz said, noting Baz sprinkling in a change-up more now. "It just speaks to the pitcher Shane is, and the stuff he has."

Baz went seven innings, surrendered just that first inning run and he struck out nine against a lineup that prides itself on putting the ball in play. He has found himself pitching with runners on all season, and scattered seven hits (Aranda did most of the damage) Tuesday, clinching a series win against a team that humbled the Orioles in Tampa and showing the stuff and grit that attracted the Orioles to him in the offseason.

Baz threw as many knuckle curves (37) as he did fastballs and utilized all five pitches in his arsenal. He has suffered from leaving pitches over the plate in key situations with two strikes and/or two outs, leading to homers, but he eliminated that Tuesday.

“He was super aggressive tonight,” Orioles catcher Sam Basallo said on the MASN broadcast through an interpreter after the game. “Really attacking the hitters.”

Errors Converted To Runs, Again

The Rays have come undone these past two games, suffering mental lapses and just unable to execute simple plays at times. Starter Griffin Jax cruised through the first on 12 pitches, striking out two, but opened the second with an error, then took a blast from Orioles de facto MVP Leody Taveras off his back that knocked him to the ground.

Jax stayed in the game to finish the second inning before departing and with the Rays pen on fumes after a 13-inning affair, that was no small development. Blaze Alexander hit what looked like a double play ball up the middle with the bases loaded in the 2nd, but it bounced off the top of the base, Richie Palcios bobbled it, and everyone was safe.

Jackson Holliday took a simple approach, going with an outside change-up opposite field to drive in the go-ahead run, another scored on Taylor Ward’s sac fly, and the Orioles were well on their way. Basallo, who needs to be in this lineup virtually every day whether it’s a lefty or righty on the mound, put it out of reach with a three-run blast in sixth, again feasting off a Tampa mistake.

The inning should have been over before Basallo batted, but Rays replacement shortstop Oliver Dunn (Taylor Walls was a late scratch) failed to get his foot on second base on a force, which the Orioles alertly challenged, extending the inning. The Orioles now have a chance to earn a sweep – quite the rarity for them – and potentially close a month of May that looked downright ugly when this homestand began, with a surge.

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