ARLINGTON, Texas – The Orioles made another series of roster moves today and celebrated Ryan O’Hearn’s election to the All-Star Game. They addressed their latest injury and dodged a more serious one. And they hoped that, at some point in the 2025 season, they might jump off the wave that lifts and dumps them.  

They had another splashdown tonight at Globe Life Field.

Marcus Semien hit a three-run homer off Tomoyuki Sugano in the third inning, and the lead grew, along with the right-hander’s slump, in a 6-0 loss to the Rangers.

Ezequiel Duran’s two-run single in the fourth and Corey Seager’s leadoff homer in the fifth pushed Sugano further into the deep end, and the Orioles couldn’t rescue him. They need to find some answers.

The impressive beginning to Sugano’s major league career has given way to a stretch of 22 earned runs (23 total) and 40 hits allowed over 22 1/3 innings in five outings. His ERA is 4.44.

“I think one thing is the walks that I give out," he said via interpreter Yuto Sakurai. "And also the missed pitches, leaving in the zone. But more than anything, I think it’s more about the combination of pitches that I throw.”

“All indications are the health is good," said interim manager Tony Mansolino. "Just missing locations tonight, and paid the price for it.”

The Rangers were in full hack mode early, with Sugano’s first three pitches put in play – a single, 401-foot fly ball to the center field fence and fly ball to right. Josh Smith reached third base on a wild pitch and throwing error on catcher Jacob Stallings, but Sugano struck out Adolis García with a splitter. That at-bat lasted seven pitches.

Billy McKinney led off the third with a walk, Josh Smith singled and Semien homered to left-center field. Sugano allowed back-to-back singles to Alejandro Osuna and Jonah Heim in the fourth, struck out the next two batters and gave up Duran’s single that extended the lead to 5-0.

Right fielder Ramón Laureano tried to nab Osuna at third base, which allowed Heim to take second and later score on Duran’s hit.

Seager launched a splitter 420 feet to center field for the 19^th home run surrendered by Sugano in 17 starts. Sugano put two more runners on base with two outs and Corbin Martin stranded them in his Orioles debut.

Sugano allowed six runs and a major league career-high 10 hits in 4 2/3.

“I think a lot of it is just location," Mansolino said. "I think his command. There’s pitches he’s setting up away and we’re kind of yanking in and balls have kind of fallen in from there. I will say the two pitches that did the most damage, the three-run homer for Semien, the location wasn’t that bad. Just probably didn’t get it down enough, it was a little bit up, Semien puts a good swing on a slider right there. And then the ball Duran kind of flipped in, location again not that bad . Two good pieces of hitting right there and put us in a hole.”

Sugano failed to complete the fifth inning for the fourth time in five starts.

"I think the league has kind of seen him a little bit, and the scouting report is out a little bit," Mansolino said. "I think it’s just the importance of getting pitches to the locations he wants is probably incredibly important right now, even more so than early in the year, just because it’s not as new. As he goes forward in the league this year, just commanding the fastball, getting the split in the right location, the sweeper, getting that to the right spot. I think that’s probably the key to success for him going forward.”

Nathan Eovaldi remains on a shorter leash in his second start after missing a month with right triceps tightness. He tossed five scoreless innings with two hits, one walk and five strikeouts, and manager Bruce Bochy removed him at 72 pitches.

Dane Dunning got the three-inning save.

“Eovaldi’s really good. I think we know that, right?" Mansolino said.

"You look at that cutter, it’s 90 mph. It looks like it’s moving two feet. So he was on, he was locked in, location was really good. Watching these guys for six games now in the span of about a week, you understand why it’s the No. 1 pitching staff in baseball. Would love to see the second half of that game, probably a few more knocks, a few more runs kind of put up right there, but it wasn’t our night tonight.”

The Orioles are 37-49 overall and 4-11 in rubber games. They were shut out tonight for the ninth time. Optimism begins to grow and is stunted again.

Their day began with reliever Keegan Akin’s placement on the injured list with left shoulder inflammation, but X-rays on Gary Sánchez’s finger came back negative and he served as the designated hitter. An entire organization was lifted by O’Hearn’s pending trip to Atlanta for the All-Star Game.

The same wave dropped the Orioles again, and much too hard.

* Tyler O'Neill is joining the Orioles in Atlanta on Friday. 

* Yennier Cano tossed a scoreless seventh inning after the Orioles recalled him earlier today. He walked a batter.

Jordan Westburg missed his fifth game in a row with a sore left index finger, but Mansolino is aiming for a Friday night return in Atlanta.

The Orioles still don’t have a timeline on Grayson Rodriguez, but he completed a bullpen session yesterday that Mansolino described as “great.”

Rodriguez threw fastballs and breaking balls, and the club was pleased with his velocity.

“All indications right now are that he is on track for what we’re thinking,” Mansolino said.

* Double-A Chesapeake’s Trey Gibson, ranked by MLB Pipeline as the No. 14 prospect in the system, shut out Richmond on one hit over seven innings in Game 2 of a doubleheader. He walked none and struck out six.