There was one little hiccup after Baez entered with a three-run lead against Toronto, falling behind in the count, 3-2, to the first hitter he faced, No. 9 hitter Josh Thole. Catcher A.J. Ellis went to the mound to remind Baez that, with his stuff, he shouldn't mess around.
Baez got Thole on a weak grounder with a fastball, then retired the next two batters for a successful rebound from his previous outing, when he allowed three runs against Tampa Bay. Can he become a reliable setup man?
"The stuff is certainly there," manager Dave Roberts said.