Challenges have become common in baseball, and few are as daunting as trying to overcome a deficit against the Padres’ late-inning relievers.

The Orioles took a shot at it this afternoon, scored once and ran into the same wall that flattens other opponents.

Gunnar Henderson delivered an RBI single in the seventh against Jason Adam, but the Orioles dropped the series with a 5-2 loss before an announced crowd of 20,611 at Camden Yards.

The Orioles will board their flight to Seattle with a 34-39 record. They don’t return home until June 26.

Mason Miller improved to 19-for-19 in save chances by recording the last four outs, the first three with strikeouts. He’s allowed three earned runs and struck out 59 in 30 innings.

The defense broke down behind Yennier Cano in the ninth. Henderson committed two throwing errors and Jackson Holliday had a fielding error. Two miscues came on the same play.

“Very (disappointing),” said manager Craig Albernaz, “especially when you know Mason Miller is on the mound already and it’s a two-run game. You want to just get back in the dugout and it’s already a tough task, but it’s two runs, and adding the third run, it makes it even more difficult. … Those three errors, they hurt us.”

Blaze Alexander, who started the game at third base, caught Fernando Tatis Jr.’s liner in right field and appeared to throw out Will Wagner at the plate. However, the call was overturned on the challenge.

Trevor Rogers allowed two runs in six innings for his fourth quality start and first since April 7. He was removed after 82 pitches.

Rodolfo Durán hit a two-run homer into the bullpen off Rico Garcia in the seventh, the ball traveling 432 feet and giving the Padres a 4-1 lead. Garcia has surrendered a home run in three of his last four appearances and his ERA has risen to 1.82.

Garcia allowed two runs in his first 28 appearances of the season.

Jeremiah Jackson, in the lineup for the first time since May 30, homered onto the flag court leading off the fifth inning to reduce San Diego’s lead to 2-1.

Jackson’s last homer was his sixth back on April 30.

Soft contract and hard luck

The combination cost Rogers two runs in the second inning.

Samad Taylor led off with a bunt single, Rogers retired the next two batters, and Durán sent a 73.7 mph grounder up past the mound. Jackson was in position to make the play, but the ball ricocheted off the bag and rolled into center field for an RBI double.

Most gifts come with wrapping paper and a bow.

Tatis gave San Diego a 2-0 lead with a grounder into center.

“It was tough,” Rogers said. “Just did my job, executed pitches, got the ball on the ground, and its a game of inches, and I either let it affect the rest of the day, or as soon as the ball hits the bag, kind of just got to laugh at stuff like that. I was glad to be able to bounce back and keep the guys in it the rest of the way.”

Tatis had a bunt single in the fifth, but Rogers induced a fly ball and fielder’s choice grounder.

Gavin Sheets walked with one out in the sixth and Taylor grounded into a 3-6 double play.

“Rog threw the ball extremely well today,” Albernaz said. “Some soft contact. Did a good job getting the ball forward, and that one ball hitting the bag. Fortunate bounce. But that was tough. But he threw the ball well.”

Hollow threats

Pete Alonso keeps swinging a hot bat, leading off the second inning with a single. Colton Cowser singled with two outs to put the tying run on base, but Jackson struck out.

Samuel Basallo struck out after Alonso’s single, and after his foul ball landed on Eutaw Street.

The team doesn’t award plaques unless it’s a home run, but the feat impressed, nonetheless.

Cowser was 1-for-18 before today since his home run in Toronto. The hit also was a homer.

His average climbed to .244 with a .734 OPS before the homestand. Right fielder Jase Bowen robbed him today with a diving catch to end the fourth.

“Obviously, there’s a level of confidence that comes with the results that he’s getting,” said hitting coach Dustin Lind. “He’s much more athletic in the box. He’s using that athletic ability to be able to kind of adjust to different pitches, especially off-speed. We’re seeing him use his legs and his lower half really well to go down and get off-speed at the bottom of the zone, which was giving him a lot of trouble at the beginning of the year. So he’s done a great job with his adjustments.

“He’s obviously an outstanding athlete and that’s kind of what the trend has been with him.”

Alexander had three hits yesterday and he singled again leading off the third inning. Taylor Ward reached on an infield hit, but Buehler retired the next three batters and held onto his lead.

The Padres went to their vaunted bullpen after Walker Buehler allowed one run in five innings. Alonso drew a leadoff walk against Bradgley Rodriguez in the sixth, Basallo singled and Leody Taveras laid down his seventh sacrifice bunt to lead the American League. Cowser and pinch-hitter Holliday struck out.

Holliday was batting for Jackson.

“It was a really tough decision,” Albernaz said. “Especially the way J.J. handles right-handed pitching and you hit the home run early. It was an extremely tough decision, and we actually talked about that exact scenario before the game. As a group, we liked Jackson in that spot, and when it got to two outs, we had to take our chance. I think if it stayed one out, we would have stuck with J.J. but we had to our best shot with two outs.”

Alexander led off the seventh with a double and scored with one out on Henderson’s single, but left-hander Adrian Morejon got a double play grounder from Adley Rutschman.

Taveras reached on an infield single down the third base line with two outs in the eighth, Miller replaced Morejon, and pinch-hitter Coby Mayo struck out on a slider. The previous pitch was clocked at 102.3 mph. A pitch to Holliday in the ninth came in at 102.6 mph, and another to Alexander was 102.8.

“Definitely one of the better closers in the game,” said Ward, who actually made contact and flied to right to end the game. “I mean, when you’re throwing over 100, pretty rare. So definitely tough. Tough that we saw him this series, hoping to avoid him. But yeah, hat’s off to him. Just tough for the offense, any offense.”

The Orioles went 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position and stranded eight.

“I can’t speak for everybody in here, but for me, I think just sticking to the approach, getting a good pitch to hit,” Ward said when asked how to cure the RISP woes. “I think that’s just what it comes down to, and not missing it.”

“There’s a couple spots there we wish we could have pushed a couple across,” Albernaz said. “I think we were 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position, so we cash in, it might be a different game there.”

Etc, etc

The Orioles are starting Brandon Young, Kyle Bradish and Shane Baz in the series in Seattle that begins Tuesday night. The Mariners haven’t listed tsheir starters. … Left-hander Josh Walker was in the clubhouse this morning, but the Orioles didn’t make a roster move. … Christian Encarnacion-Strand hit his 15th homer today for Triple-A Norfolk. Enrique Bradfield Jr. and Heston Kjerstad both had two hits and an RBI … High-A Frederick’s Victor Figueroa hit his 17th homer. Boston Bateman allowed five runs and five hits with three walks in 2 2/3 innings … The Padres placed catcher Freddy Fermin on the seven-day concussion injured list and selected the contract of former Orioles minor league catcher Blake Hunt from Triple-A El Paso … In former Orioles news: Grayson Rodriguez hit Cedric Mullins with a pitch today and exited the Angels’ game with an injury. He’s lined up to face his former team on June 24.