Rays rally in the 8th, sweep the Orioles to spoil Shane Baz's return

Rick Stroud, Tampa Bay Times on May 20, 2026

Published in Baseball

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TAMPA, Fla. — It looked like a happy homecoming game for Pete Alonso and Shane Baz on Wednesday afternoon.

Alonso, the former Plant High School star, drove in two runs with a single and homer. Baz, the former Tampa Bay Rays pitcher, allowed only two hits through six innings.

Then the Rays (33-15) sort of knocked over the punch bowl, tore into a few Baltimore Orioles pitchers and ruined the party.

With the Rays trailing 3-1, Jonathan Aranda laced a two-run double to tie the score in the eighth inning, and Richie Palacios singled to right, scoring Aranda with the go-ahead run for a 5-3 victory over the Orioles.

Entering the eighth, the Rays had managed only two hits off the Orioles’ pitching.

Hunter Feduccia opened the inning with a bunt single but was forced out at second when Chandler Simpson bounced into a fielder’s choice.

Junior Caminero worked the count full before he singled to right, his second hit of the day. Oliver Dunn, who was just acquired in a trade, ran for Caminero. With Dunn running on the pitch, Aranda drove in both runs with a double to right-center field.

Ryan Vilade was hit by a pitch, moving Aranda into scoring position.

That’s when Palacios singled to right, scoring Aranda with the go-ahead run. The Rays then pulled off a double steal with Palacios swiping second and Vilade beating the relay to the plate for the final margin.

Alonso had already driven in the Orioles’ first run with a sharp single to left field his first time up. He launched a blast over the right-field wall, his ninth homer of the season, in the sixth inning for a 2-1 Baltimore lead.

The Rays took a 1-0 lead in the second inning on Hunter Feduccia’s first home run of his major-league career, a 421-foot blast to right-center.

Alonso wasn’t the only Oriole making a happy homecoming of sorts. Baz was making his first start against his former team since being traded for four Orioles prospects and a competitive balance draft pick in 2026.

Baz entered the game with a 1-5 record and an ERA just over 5.00.

He gave up the home run to Feduccia but at one point sat down 11 straight Rays hitters. Baz pitched six innings and allowed only one run on two hits with three walks and six strikeouts.

The Rays’ Steven Matz was making his first start since returning from the 15-day injured list, having missed 13 games with shoulder inflammation. He looked sharp in working four innings, allowing one run on three hits with two walks and five strikeouts.

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