Shane Baz Getting 'More Comfortable' With Baltimore Orioles After Solid Outing

Shane Baz spent his first two months with the Baltimore Orioles trying to figure things out, and it showed.

The 26-year-old right-hander came over from the Tampa Bay Rays in a December trade and signed a five-year, $68 million extension before he ever threw a pitch for Baltimore, making him the highest-paid pitcher in franchise history.

The pressure was obvious early on, because the results were rough.

Through his first eight starts, Baz carried a 5.48 ERA and a 1-5 record while the Orioles stumbled under first-year manager Craig Albernaz.

Something has changed over his last three outings, though, and Tuesday night against his former team was far and away his best performance in an Orioles uniform.

Baz struck out a season-high nine batters and threw seven innings of one-run ball as Baltimore beat the Rays 6-1 at Camden Yards.

That followed a strong start last week at Tropicana Field, where he allowed just one run over six innings against these same Rays.

His ERA has dropped from 5.48 to 4.48 across those three starts, and he has posted a 2.25 ERA during that stretch, which is a massive change from where he was a couple of weeks ago.

Baz talked after the game about adjusting to a new organization.

"There's always an adjustment period of learning people, learning how they like to operate, trying to just be the best player and teammate that I can be every day," Baz said. "I feel like we've kind of started putting together good game plans and stuff and just being a little bit more comfortable."

The early struggles were legitimate.

Baz got tagged for four or more earned runs in four of five starts during one stretch, and the walk numbers have been a problem all season with 27 free passes through 64.1 innings.

The stuff has always been there, though.

His fastball still sits around 97 mph, his knuckle-curve generated 11 whiffs in one outing alone, and he has started mixing in a change-up more at the suggestion of his coaching staff.

The Orioles entered 2026 with playoff expectations after adding Baz along with Pete Alonso, Chris Bassitt, Taylor Ward, and closer Ryan Helsley.

Instead, they sit at 25-30 and fourth in the AL East, nine games behind the first-place Rays.

Baltimore needs Baz pitching like this if it wants any chance of climbing back.

Baz was one of the top players on Baltimore's roster heading into the year because of his ceiling, not what he did in Tampa Bay last season.

He went 10-12 with a 4.87 ERA in 31 starts for the Rays in 2025, but the raw talent was never in question.

Now that he is getting settled and building trust with his catcher and coaching staff, the version of Baz that Baltimore paid $68 million for might actually be showing up.

Three starts does not erase what happened earlier, but it is a lot more encouraging than anything he showed in April.