BALTIMORE — To find Nelson Cruz’s locker at Camden Yards, in the far corner of the Baltimore Orioles’ clubhouse, it is best to use caution. On your way there, you will pass an artificial turf putting green, an orange-and-black pool table beneath a Tiffany lamp, a card table with a noisy automatic shuffler and a Ping-Pong table. Paddles and clubs and billiard balls are everywhere.

“We realize what we’re here to do, and we’re very businesslike — but we have a lot of fun,” said Darren O’Day, a veteran reliever. “If you’re going to play and go about your business and you’re a good teammate, then you’ll fit in and we’ll welcome you, no matter what has happened.”

The way Cruz has hit this season, he would probably fit in anywhere. His overwhelming success — a .291 average, 28 homers and 74 runs batted in — has helped lift the Orioles to first place in the American League East as they prepare to host the Yankees this weekend.

But Cruz’s sense of belonging has also validated his decision to come here, for a discount deal of one year and $8 million, after serving a 50-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs last summer.