Shane

Baz

Baz surrendered a run in the first inning on a pair of hits. Brent Rooker later got to him for a three-run homer in the third. A double and a sacrifice fly made it five runs for the A’s in the fifth and ended Baz’s day with two outs at 100 pitches. He struck out five. The 26-year-old right-hander has posted a disappointing 5.48 ERA, 1.56 WHIP, and a 38/19 K/BB ratio across 44 1/3 innings. He’ll get a road matchup against the Nationals on Friday.

Baz gave up five hits, walked five and struck out four. He fell to 1-3 with the loss. Baz’ day started with allowing a double to Trent Grisham and a two-run home run to Aaron Judge. It didn’t get much better from there as he allowed six runs, though one was unearned. Baz’ 4.49 xFIP isn’t much better than his 4.99 ERA. He’s not a recommended option at home against the Athletics this weekend.

No pressure. Gibson, the Orioles’ top pitching prospect, will make his major-league debut at Yankee Stadium, with Shane Baz likely pushed back to Monday. The 23-year-old right-hander is one of the more intriguing arms in the minors, but this is an extremely difficult spot for fantasy managers to trust him. He offers legitimate strikeout upside after posting a stellar 166/44 K/BB ratio across 120 1/3 innings at three levels in Baltimore’s system last season, giving him a path to immediate fantasy relevance. He’s talented enough to warrant a speculative roster spot in most formats, even if expectations should be tempered in this challenging matchup.

Gibson is considered one of the top pitching prospects in Baltimore’s system after racing through three levels with a 166/44 K/BB ratio across 120 1/3 innings to reach Triple-A Norfolk by the conclusion of last season. The 23-year-old is presumably joining the Orioles on their taxi squad in case they need some additional relief depth behind Kyle Bradish and Shane Baz this weekend in New York. He’s an interesting arm that fantasy managers should be watching closely if he gets a sustained opportunity at the highest level.

Baz gave up six hits, but Brice Matthews’ homer was the only one that did any damage. He struck out six and walked one. Through six starts, Baz has a 4.50 ERA and a 29/11 K/BB in 34 innings. He’d be a better bet in fantasy leagues if the Rays hadn’t traded him, but he still probably has some mixed-league value anyway.

It continues to be a struggle for Baz. There was constant traffic on the bases against him and he couldn’t quite land his knuckle-curve where he wanted it. He did break off some nice ones low and below the zone, but hung far too many and they got pelted. In total, the struggling Royals’ lineup had 12 hard-hit balls against him, seven of which came off that knuckle-curve. To find some solace, he forced 13 swings-and-misses and did limit the damage against him. Three of the four runs he allowed came via sacrifice flies. Yet, two of those runners advanced to third on wild pitches he threw. The other stole third. Overall, it’s still a struggle for Baz who’s lined up to face the Astros next time around.

The 26-year-old right-hander also issued three walks on the night while racking up six strikeouts. He served up a two-run homer to Jose Ramirez in the first inning, then the Guardians scratched out single runs against him in the fifth and sixth innings to pile on. Baz got nine swings and misses on 99 pitches on the night, registering a CSW of 26 percent. Now 0-2 on the season, he’ll tote a 4.91 ERA, 1.55 WHIP and a 19/8 K/BB ratio (22 innings) into Tuesday’s matchup against the Royals in Kansas City.

Baz got off to a strong start on Friday, allowing just two baserunners through 2.2 innings. He would allow his first run of the game with two outs in the third when Willy Adames blasted a 421-foot solo homer to right center. Baz would allow two more baserunners in the inning before getting Rafael Devers to ground out to end the inning. Things didn’t get any better for Baz in the fourth inning, who allowed four more base runners to get on and two more to score, with Adames again getting the best of him on an RBI double to drive in the Giants’ third run of the game. Baz would pitch a scoreless fifth inning before being pulled, and has yet to pitch more than 5 2/3 innings in any game this season. He can be left on waivers for Wednesday’s start against the Diamondbacks.

Baz stranded two baserunners in the first inning by striking out the final two batters. After a pair of clean innings, the leadoff man would reach on an error in the fourth and later score an unearned run on a sacrifice fly. Baz worked around a pair of walks in the fifth and gave up a double with two outs in the sixth before exiting at 98 pitches -- 63 for strikes. The 26-year-old right-hander will look to follow the strong outing in a start against the Giants in Baltimore on Friday.

Baz punched out four opposing hitters on the afternoon and did not allow a base on balls. All of the damage done against him came during a four-run uprising in the second inning that included a bases-clearing three-run double from Tristan Gray. Baz generated 12 swings and misses on 78 pitches on the day, posting a CSW of 29 percent. He’ll try once again to earn his first victory in an Orioles’ uniform when he takes on the Pirates in Pittsburgh on Saturday.