CLEVELAND — Baseball has a way of finding people when they’re in unusual situations, so the game found left-hander Gregory Soto in the ninth inning Thursday.

For a bullpen that lost right-hander Félix Bautista to the 15-day injured list due to right shoulder discomfort, the ninth inning now becomes more of an adventure. Before the game, interim manager Tony Mansolino said Baltimore wouldn’t have a set replacement at closer; instead, the Orioles will rely on matchup-based decisions in late-game scenarios.

The first opportunity went to Soto, the hard-throwing southpaw. He has closed games before. In All-Star seasons for the Detroit Tigers in 2021 and 2022, Soto combined for 48 saves. But he had yet to appear in that role for Baltimore since arriving in a trade last year, and so he came to the mound at Progressive Field in a one-run game.

Soto struck out the first two batters and forced a game-ending groundout.

As a result, Baltimore passed its first test without Bautista this year to secure a 4-3 victory over the Cleveland Guardians.

The decision to pitch Soto in the ninth had as much to do with the heart of Cleveland’s lineup due up in the eighth. Mansolino said he turned to right-hander Seranthony Domínguez in the eighth because “we’re going to throw our best guy right there.”

Domínguez got out of it. Then Soto took care of the ninth.

“I know a lot more,” Soto said through team interpreter Brandon Quinones, thinking about how his life has changed since he was in Detroit. “I think now it’s just going out there and throwing strikes and doing what I can to get the job done.”

The Orioles avoided a sweep against the Guardians. They also broke a streak of seven losses in their last eight games. And now, with a series against the Colorado Rockies at Camden Yards this weekend, Baltimore could attempt to make up some of the ground it lost on this road trip.

But still, at 45-57, the Orioles are poised to be sellers until the July 31 trade deadline.

The game featured a hot start. This wasn’t the first time this series the Orioles jumped on a starting pitcher, only to have him settle in. Right-hander Tanner Bibee allowed three first-inning runs Monday, yet he still worked seven innings in a win. This time, it was left-hander Logan Allen who conceded three in the first inning.

The loudest swing came from Ramón Laureano, as he continues a resurgent season. Laureano crushed a low changeup 414 feet for a two-run home run, which tied him with Jackson Holliday for the most homers on the team (14). After Tyler O’Neill recorded the first of two singles — his first multihit game since April 5 — Ramón Urías lashed an RBI double to center, a line drive that Ángel Martínez misplayed.

“It’s an important day. You don’t want to get swept in a four-game series,” Mansolino said. “I wish we would have thrown up more in the subsequent innings.”

The Orioles didn’t add on until the seventh. That’s when Gunnar Henderson swatted a two-out RBI single to recapture the lead for right-hander Charlie Morton and the rest of the pitching staff.

Looking through the lens of the trade deadline, Morton’s start would encourage potential buyers. They already know the clubhouse presence Morton brings, and his postseason track record as either a starter or long reliever is strong. But can he still do it? Can Morton, 41, provide value for a team seeking a starter?

The quality start from Morton on Thursday wasn’t dominant. He allowed a pair of home runs to Steven Kwan and conceded a third run on Nolan Jones’ sacrifice fly in the third. His command was shaky; he walked four batters.

Still, Morton ground his way into the seventh inning on a season-high 107 pitches. He provided length for a bullpen that is relatively inexperienced.

“Charlie brought a lot of stability to us over this time,” said Mansolino, who said he asked Morton whether he wanted to stay in for the seventh and received a resounding yes. “I don’t know how much longer we’re going to get that stability out of him. Hopefully he stays. If he doesn’t, then somebody else will have to step up and continue the stability that he’s brought us.”

The three runs he permitted in 6 2/3 innings allowed Baltimore to hand a lead to its bullpen. And, after Morton issued a two-out walk to Kwan in the seventh, right-hander Corbin Martin forced a first-pitch pop-up to end the inning.

The bounce back from Morton has been equally impressive. He began the year in poor form. And, after the All-Star break, he reverted to his earlier issues when he allowed seven runs against the Tampa Bay Rays. But Morton navigated the baserunners against him well, and he’ll likely have one more start ahead of the trade deadline for opposing clubs to analyze.

When Morton considers how his short time in Baltimore may be ending, he thinks back to the beginning. He thinks of his 10.89 ERA after five starts, and he knows in some sense, the predicament in which Baltimore finds itself lands at his feet.

“The circumstances, too, I think it makes it tougher,” Morton said, “because I look back, knowing what I’m capable of doing, and knowing that I failed for a decent stretch in the beginning of the season, and I know I let a lot of people down, and I know that it was difficult and it caused, I’m sure in large part, a lot of the difficulty that has happened with the team.”

The way Morton has responded is noteworthy. So is the way he bonds with his teammates.

“I think that you owe it to the guys in the room, you owe it to the organization, you owe it to the city, to be bought in to where you are, to give as much of yourself as you can, to be as genuine and open and vulnerable as you can in a room full of guys you don’t know. And, from that, I think you develop deeper relationships, more meaningful relationships, and I certainly have experienced that in several places, and this is no different.”

So, whether he’s traded or not, Morton called it a sad situation to be a selling club when “we’re capable of so much more.”

Until then, however, there are games to be played. And this game was won on the back of strong pitching performances.

Behind Morton, Martin, Domínguez and Soto posted zeroes. In Soto’s previous appearance this week, he walked three batters and allowed two runs in a loss. But he shut down the three batters he faced Thursday, and for at least one day, Baltimore lived without Bautista.

News and notes

Left-hander Keegan Akin (shoulder) is expected to pitch another rehab outing Saturday. Once he completes that, Mansolino said, Akin should be ready to return to Baltimore.

This article has been updated.