Everything felt right to Zach Eflin. The jog to the mound, the delivery, the outs.

The surgically repaired back that let him pitch again in the majors.

And then, with two outs in the top of the fourth inning, after throwing a curveball to the Rangers’ Ezequiel Duran, manager Craig Albernaz and head athletic trainer Scott Barringer came to the mound to check on Eflin and removed him from the game.

The Orioles announced that Eflin exited with right elbow discomfort. More information will be available later.

Reliever Grant Wolfram quickly began to warm as a bucket of ice water was dumped on Eflin’s triumphant return.

Eflin received a visit from pitching coach Drew French after walking Evan Carter. One pitch later, Eflin was on his way to the trainers’ room.

Pete Alonso tied the game in the bottom of the fourth with his first Orioles home run, a 400-foot shot to center field off long-time friend Jacob deGrom, but much of the focus had shifted to Eflin.

In his first game since July 28, Eflin struck out six batters over the first three innings with his sinker, changeup, sweeper and curveball. He was down 1-0 on Duran’s leadoff home run in the third, a sweeper traveling 393 feet to left field.

Eflin’s season high in strikeouts last season was seven. He matched it tonight when Joc Pederson flailed at a changeup leading off the fourth. Josh Smith flied out, but Danny Jansen doubled on a ground ball inside third base and Carter walked.

Eflin allowed one run and four hits with two walks and seven strikeouts in 3 2/3 innings. He threw 74 pitches, 44 for strikes.

Dean Kremer was a surprise option at the end of camp and could be recalled to replace Eflin. Kremer is scheduled to make his first start with Triple-A Norfolk on Friday night in Memphis.

Eflin re-signed with the Orioles and made the club in spring training by getting results and proving that he was ready. He didn’t need to stay back and build up innings and his pitch count. He caught up to the other starters and secured his spot with 5 1/3 scoreless innings, one hit allowed and seven strikeouts against the Yankees in Tampa in his final appearance.

There would be no six-man rotation or piggybacking. Kremer was sent down after leading the Orioles in innings last season and Eflin became the No. 5 starter.

Eflin made three trips to the injured list last season, the first due to a sore lat and the last two related to his back. The Orioles re-signed him in late December to a $10 million contract that included a mutual option.

deGrom was perfect for six innings against the Orioles and no-hit them through the seventh in a June 25 start at Camden Yards. Alonso stamped out any possibility of deGrom making another run at history tonight with a two-out single in the first inning.

The two-time Cy Young Award winner was still dealing, retiring nine of the first 11 batters. Taylor Ward singled with two outs in the third.

Alonso launched a 96.5 mph fastball from his former Mets teammate, but Brandon Nimmo led off the fifth with a single off Wolfram and scored on Wyatt Langford’s triple. Corey Seager singled to give the Rangers a 3-1 lead.

Update: The Orioles bullpen allowed seven runs tonight in an 8-5 loss to the Rangers before an announced crowd of 13,542 at Camden Yards.

Taylor Ward had a career-high four hits, including a two-out, two-run double in the ninth off Chris Martin.

The Orioles (2-3) chased deGrom with two outs in the fifth after Blaze Alexander singled, Ward reached on an infield hit and both runners scored on Gunnar Henderson’s game-tying double off the left field fence.

Yennier Cano entered in the sixth and the Orioles fell behind 4-3 on Nimmo’s broken-bat single into center field that scored Carter with two outs. The first two batters reached against Yaramil Hiraldo in the seventh, the next two flied out, and Jansen hit a 409-foot three-run homer to left-center field for a 7-3 lead.

Hiraldo has surrendered a home run in back-to-back appearances.

The bullpen is scuffling with so many short starts. The rotation has produced outings of 4 2/3, 4 1/3 and 3 2/3 innings within five games.

Anthony Nunez looked like an exception. The rookie followed his six-up, six-down debut by retiring the side in order in the eighth inning, but Corey Seager led off the ninth with a homer.

*Ward hit first again tonight, as he’s done in every game. He singled three times and doubled after beginning the season 2-for-15.

Albernaz doesn’t make a big deal about the leadoff role. He was asked about it in spring training and again before tonight’s game – what he wants from the first batter and his thought process behind who gets the responsibility.

“I think the biggest thing is managing the at-bat, seeing pitches, working the count,” he said. “And to me, the leadoff hitter, you only lead off once. Outside of that, you’re a normal hitter. To me, the only thing that changes is you just hit first to start the top of the first inning or the bottom of the first, and then it’s status quo after that.”

The top third of the order is untouched through five games with Ward, Henderson and Alonso.

“It just comes down to what two-to-three guys you want to get the most plate appearances that game,” Albernaz said.

*Down on the farm, Jackson Holliday has an RBI single for Norfolk in his latest rehab game.