The pitcher with the worst offensive support in the majors was behind by two runs tonight after facing two batters.

Shane Baz is up for a challenge, but he started a fight that he didn’t seem capable of winning.

The Orioles owed him and paid big-time, sending 14 batters to the plate in the third inning and scoring eight times in a 9-5 victory over the Guardians before an announced crowd of 16,222 at Camden Yards.

A second win in the last nine games left the Orioles with a 71-76 record and three back for the last Wild Card. The Blue Jays, Rangers and Twins also lost.

The off-day is followed by a weekend series in Toronto and a stop in Flushing, N.Y. The Orioles begin their final homestand on Sept. 18, hoping that their obits haven’t been penned.

Baz allowed five runs and six hits in 5 2/3 innings. Chase DeLauter belted a two-run homer in the first and Nathaniel Lowe delivered a two-run shot in the sixth after Baz hit Travis Bazzana with two outs. Angel Genao singled and scored on Patrick Bailey’s double off the out-of-town scoreboard. Baz retired nine of 10 and 17 of 20 before Bazzana reached, but Josh Walker had to replace him after 100 pitches.

Only 19 runs were scored for Baz in his last 14 starts before tonight. His 3.14 run support average was the lowest in baseball.

DeLauter homered after Steven Kwan’s leadoff single, but the first seven batters reached against Guardians left-hander Foster Griffin in the third. The streak ended with Rece Hinds’ sacrifice fly, but the Orioles were just catching their breath.

Much of the contact barely produced a sound. The Orioles sent 14 batters to the plate, including 10 against Griffin, who hurt himself with a throwing error, walk and bases-loaded hit-batter.

The bottom of the order got it started. Leody Taveras was 1-for-22 before his leadoff single at 76.9 mph. He also had a run-scoring single later in the inning that chased Griffin. Carlos Narváez, in an 0-for-18 slump, reached on an infield hit, the runners moved up when Griffin bounced a pickoff throw into center field, and Dylan Beavers followed with game-tying, two-run double on a shallow fly ball at 53.4 mph.

Pete Alonso singled at 108.3 mph, Coby Mayo walked and Griffin nailed Christian Encarnacion-Strand on an 0-2 count to force in the go-ahead run. The inning also included Jackson Holliday’s RBI single with the count full, Hinds’ sac fly and Jeremiah Jackson’s RBI single in his return to the Orioles that snapped an 0-for-26 streak

Beavers had three RBIs in the inning after his single off reliever Matt Festa. Alonso walked to extend the rally.

The eight runs equaled the most in an inning this season. The Orioles tallied more in the third than in Baz’s last four starts combined.

Griffin struck out four of the first seven batters. The Orioles faced him on June 27 at Camden Yards when he pitched for the Nationals, and he allowed an unearned run and three hits with nine strikeouts in seven innings.

His name was the only similarity tonight.

Mayo gave the Orioles a 9-5 lead in the bottom of the sixth inning with his 22nd home run, and sixth against a right-hander, after José Ramírez dropped a foul popup with two outs. Franco Aleman almost recorded the out with a slider, tried another and watched it sail 407 feet to left-center field at 106.6 mph.

The insurance seemed more important after the first two batters reached against Yennier Cano in the eighth. Lowe concluded a nine-pitch at-bat by grounding out and Rico Garcia entered. Cano made a slow walk back to the dugout and fired his glove and cap against the dugout wall.

Cano stood with hands on hips and then arms folded as Garcia escaped the jam. The team held its composure and the lead.

Down on the farm

Triple-A Norfolk pitcher Michael Forret was placed on the seven-day injured list with a left hip impingement. Forret came back to the organization in the Tyler Wells trade with the Rays.

Ethan Anderson hit his 21st home run for Double-A Chesapeake, and Griff O’Ferrall hit his seventh. Joseph Dzierwa tossed five scoreless innings with two hits allowed. The organization’s No. 3 prospect registered a 2.29 ERA with 99 strikeouts in 90 1/3 innings in his 18 games with the Baysox.