The Orioles won a series but couldn’t get the sweep.

They gained important ground in the Wild Card race this week but had an opportunity to do more.

That isn’t greedy. That’s the world they live in, where losing at home to a team with the worst record in baseball is going to leave a mark.

A 4-1 loss to the Angels, in front of an announced crowd of 21,202, wasn’t the proper send-off before a 10-game road trip that begins Friday in Texas.

The Orioles are 56-59. They haven’t reached .500 or a game below since an April 30 doubleheader.

The inability to take advantage of eight walks and a hit-batter doomed them. None of the runners scored, and they stranded eight.

“We did a great job of making them work,” said manager Craig Albernaz. “At-bat quality was great. … We just couldn’t get that big hit that we needed.”

“It’s frustrating,” said Dylan Beavers. “They definitely gave us opportunities offensively, and I think our pitching was plenty good enough for us to win that game. To not capitalize on their mistakes, it’s definitely frustrating.”

Zach Neto hit a three-run homer off Brandon Young in the third inning. Catcher Yohel Pozo responded with a solo shot off Ryan Johnson in the bottom half of the inning.

The score held until the seventh, when Yaramil Hiraldo surrendered a run on a single, walk, balk and sacrifice fly.

Young worked out of a jam in the fourth but ran his pitch count to 91. He faced one more batter in the fifth, striking out Mike Trout again, and has totaled 10 innings in his last two starts.

Young was charged with three runs and six hits today in 4 1/3 and has a 3.43 ERA.

The Angels loaded the bases with no outs in the second inning on a popup lost in the sun for a gift single, an infield hit on a roller to the left side of the mound and an opposite-field single on an 0-2 count. I turned to the person next to me and said, “They won’t score here. Two strikeouts and a lazy fly ball.”

Young struck out Jose Siri and Josh Lowe and retired Oswald Peraza on a fly ball.

Tomorrow, Atlantic City.

Wade Meckler led off the third inning with an infield single and motored into scoring position after Young made a wild throw to first base. Nolan Schanuel walked with one out and Neto belted his 20th homer, driving a sinker 411 feet to center field.

“Just a frustrating outing overall,” Young said. “Made a lot of pitches there in the second, then just got back in the dugout there and was a little gassed. Didn’t do a good job of landing off-speed early. Thought the heater was good. Left a pitch middle-middle for him. Came after the throwing error I made, then I walked a guy. All that was my fault for sure. Then left the two-seamer over the middle and he put a good swing on it. He’s a good hitter. I’ve got to be better.”

A single and walk dumped Young in more hot water in the fourth, but Peraza grounded into a 5-3 double play on the 13th pitch of the at-bat.

“He threw way more pitches than he needed to,” Albernaz said. “The sun ball with (Jackson), then he had the self-inflicted error on himself. Aside of that, he kept us in it. Neto hit a good pitch. He’s a really good hitter. He took that fastball inner third and drove it out to right-center field. But B.Y., he grinded through it. Like I said, more pitches than he needed to or should have thrown, but he kept us in it and gave us a chance.”

The Angels were 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position through the sixth after putting runners on the corners with one out against Josh Walker and failing again to widen their lead. They were 2-for-13 with seven stranded through the seventh. Albert Suárez left two on base in the eighth to make them 2-for-15.

Johnson shut out the Orioles on one hit over six innings in Anaheim but brought a 7.63 ERA and 1.587 WHIP into today’s game.

“He did a great job of mixing his arsenal against us,” Albernaz said this morning. “It’s a different look, funky look, and he was throwing a ton of strikes and he kept us off-balance. And that was the biggest thing. We just couldn’t get our timing in or square him up. He did a good job of staying out of the middle of the strike zone and nibbling on the corners. His command was there.

“Our guys know, they’ve seen it before, so now you know what you have to deal with.”

Johnson walked two of the first three batters he faced, but Christian Encarnacion-Strand grounded into a double play. Leody Taveras walked with one out in the second and Jeremiah Jackson grounded into a double play.

Pozo’s homer in the third inning was his first in 2026 and the seventh of his career. It also was the first by an Orioles catcher since Samuel Basallo on July 12.

Will Pozo stick? Only if the Orioles carry three catchers after reinstating Basallo from the injured list.

Johnson also allowed a single to Dylan Beavers, who was thrown out trying to steal, walked two more batters and hit Encarnacion-Strand to load the bases. Jackson Holliday bounced out on the first pitch.

Beavers stormed off the field and fired his helmet into the dugout railing.

“I just need to get a better jump,” he said. “That guy’s quick to the plate. It’s like a 1:00-1.20 to the plate. Just trying to get in scoring position for Pete. Just need to get a better jump there, and can’t be giving away outs on the bases.”

Beavers had the green light to run.

“He actually caught (Moisés) Ballesteros if you look at the video off-guard,” Albernaz said. “He kicked out and threw from his knees. He got off a great throw, but if you look at Beavers’ slide, he started his slide really, really early. We talked to him about it. If he slides later, he’s in there, so it’s just like a little thing like that. I have no problem with him trying to steal there, again trying to get some offense going, get guys in scoring position and keep the inning going.”

Albernaz had no issues with Holliday swinging at the first pitch.

“If he feels like it’s a good pitch to hit, you’ve got to go,” he said. “I mean, bases loaded like that, you’ve got to take your shot. You can’t be passive up there. If it’s a good pitch to hit like that, let it rip.”

Pete Alonso singled with two outs in the fifth and Johnson came out of the game. The Orioles have totaled one run and four hits against him in 10 2/3 innings.

They put two runners on base with two outs in the sixth and Luke Murphy struck out Colton Cowser.

Tyler O’Neill delivered off the bench again with a two-out single in the eighth inning that moved Gunnar Henderson to third base. Henderson hesitated and tried to score on Samy Natera Jr.’s pitch to the backstop, but the ball ricocheted back to Ballesteros and he flipped to Natera for the out.

“As soon as he stopped, he just has to stay,” Albernaz said. “We all know Gunnar is aggressive, making things happen. He sensed that we needed to get another run across, but if he trusted his first instinct, if he was going to go, go. But as soon as he stopped, you just have to get back. And he knows this ballpark better than anyone, and that’s something I know he would want to have back.”

The entire team wanted another shot at today’s game, but it’s over. They packed their bags for the trip to Texas, Minnesota and Tampa trailing the last Wild Card by one.

“Obviously, it was a tough, tough day on the deadline,” Beavers said. “We lost really good players and good teammates. But just like them, they’re going to push forward and try to win every night for their respective teams. I feel like we kind of have to, unfortunately, got to go about it as business as usual and try and win every night. Yeah, same kind of deal as before now.”

“We won the series,” Young said. “We had two really good games against them. Third one, it’s whatever. We’re still in a good spot. Some big games coming up, so I think it’s going to light a fire under us.

“I know the race is tied with Texas and Minnesota, and then a good team in Tampa. So I think we’re going to play some good ball this next week and a half.”