AMARILLO, Texas —
Michel Baez’s second pitch was hit through the right side of the infield for a single. Baez balked a runner into scoring position in his first inning and hit a batter the next inning after the leadoff man scorched a ball off the left-field wall. A double play ball that would have ended the whole ordeal was dropped at first base.
The 23-year-old Cuban’s second relief appearance off Double-A Amarillo’s injured list had every opportunity to go off the rails.
What happened instead — a three-pitch strikeout and a fist pump as Baez bounced off the mound — says more about where he is in his march toward San Diego than a relatively clean line in a box score.