BALTIMORE -- Shane Baz is beginning to show exactly why the Orioles made him the highest-paid pitcher in franchise history. And lately, the 26-year-old right-hander’s success is coming against a team that knows him quite well.
For the second consecutive start, Baz was terrific against the American League East-leading Rays. On Tuesday night, he racked up a season-high nine strikeouts while tossing seven innings of one-run ball and helping guide the O’s to a 6-1 victory at Camden Yards.
Baz has a 2.25 ERA over his past three starts, lowering his season mark from 5.48 to 4.48 during that span. His previous outing also came against Tampa Bay -- which traded him to Baltimore on Dec. 19 -- working six innings of one-run ball last Wednesday at Tropicana Field.
The Orioles have raved about the upside and potential of Baz, who signed a five-year, $68 million extension on March 27, before he even debuted for the team. He had a bumpy start to the season, but the righty has recently found his groove.
The only Rays’ run against Baz this time came early, as Chandler Simpson opened the game with a double and scored on Jonathan Aranda’s single two batters later. Although Baz gave up seven hits, six were singles. He also stranded seven men on base, as Tampa Bay went 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position.
Baz generated 10 whiffs during his 99-pitch, 69-strike outing, six of which came against his knuckle curve. He finished strong, retiring eight of the final nine batters he faced.
The O’s plated three runs in both the second and fifth, capitalizing on a trio of Rays errors (making all six runs charged to Tampa Bay pitchers unearned). The Rays have committed seven errors over the first two games of this series.
The game was broken open on Samuel Basallo’s three-run home run in the fifth, which pushed the Orioles’ lead to 6-1. It was the eighth homer of the season for the 21-year-old rookie catcher.
After getting swept during last week’s three-game series at Tropicana Field, the O’s will have an opportunity to return the favor on Wednesday night, when they’ll go for a three-game sweep of the Rays. This has the potential to be the start of a hot streak for the Orioles (25-30), who have won four of the first five contests to open a season-long 10-game homestand.