Baltimore Orioles right-hander Shane Baz is undefeated against the host Toronto Blue Jays and hopes to maintain that Sunday afternoon in the rubber match of a three-game series.
Baz (3-5, 4.29 ERA), who was traded from the Tampa Bay Rays to Baltimore in December, has posted a 4-0 mark with a 2.23 ERA in six career starts against the Blue Jays. His team is 6-0 in those starts.
Baz is 1-0 with a 3.38 ERA in two career starts at Rogers Centre in Toronto.
The teams have split the first two games of the series following the Blue Jays’ 6-4 victory on Saturday.
The Blue Jays are slated to counter with right-hander Kevin Gausman (4-4, 3.36), who started his career with the Orioles. He is 3-4 with a 4.53 ERA in eight career starts against Baltimore.
The Orioles and Blue Jays have split their first six meetings this season and are tied for third in the American League East, eight games behind the first-place Rays.
Ernie Clement had a triple and a three-run homer on Saturday for the Blue Jays.
He also contributed some stellar defense at second base. He showed his range on Adley Rutschman’s third-inning grounder, probably saved a run with a superb play on Pete Alonso’s grounder up the middle in the eighth and flashed the leather again with a smart play on Blaze Alexander’s sharp grounder to end the game.
Toronto’s inconsistent hitting has been an obvious problem this season, but the team’s defense also is not as good as it was last season.
Clement was glad to help provide a remedy.
“That’s something I’ve been working at,” Clement said on Saturday. “Some bounces haven’t gone my way this year on the defensive end, but I take a lot of pride in picking our pitchers up on the slim chance they give up some hard contact. I just want to help them as much as I can. I was able to do that today, which feels really good.”
Center fielder Daulton Varsho, who left the opening game of the series with inflammation in the left wrist, entered Saturday’s game defensively in the eighth inning.
Baltimore catcher/designated hitter Samuel Basallo, who left the series opener with abdominal discomfort, grounded out as a pinch hitter in the ninth inning on Saturday.
Basallo’s MRI was clean.
“Yeah, everything went OK,” Orioles manager Craig Albernaz said. “He went through the work day and he felt good, and we did a nice slow ramp up during the game to make sure he was ready to go and pinch hit in a spot.”
With the uncertainty about Basallo, Baltimore selected the contract of catcher Sam Huff from Triple-A Norfolk and designated utility player Weston Wilson for assignment.
Baltimore right fielder Colton Cowser experienced numbness in his left hand after crashing into the fence on Clement’s fifth-inning triple. He stayed in the game to make a spectacular catch on a deep sacrifice fly by Brandon Valenzuela, who was the next batter.
Cowser left for a pinch hitter in the seventh when Toronto sent in left-handed reliever Mason Fluharty. Cowser is expected to play on Sunday.
“It’s good,” Cowser said. “Nerve flared up a little bit. Hand went numb for a second, and it took a little bit longer than it normally does whenever that happens, so it’s OK.”
Cowser, Alonso and Alexander each hit homers for the Orioles on Saturday. Gunnar Henderson had three hits. Valenzuela had three hits for Toronto to go with his sacrifice fly.
–Field Level Media
