If the first time through the order was the only stat that mattered, then Cade Povich on Wednesday looked like an ace. He struck out five guys his first time through, facing only one batter above the minimum in the first three innings.

But then came the second and third times through the order, and that’s when trouble struck. The Orioles left-hander allowed two runs in the fourth and three in the fifth, and the St. Louis Cardinals were on their way to a 6-4 victory and a series win.

“Stopped keeping the ball down,” Povich said of what happened after the third inning. “I think, the first three innings, I did a great job of that, mixing stuff, and then just too many pitches that were thigh high and easy for them to hit.”

In his second major league season, Povich has shown improvements. He’s striking out more — 9.35 per nine innings as opposed to 7.79 in his 16 starts in 2024 — but his ERA is 5.29 ERA and the Orioles have lost his last four starts.

And it’s not unusual for a young starter to struggle when facing a lineup the second and third times through — the opposing hitters start to figure you out, and it’s up to you to find new ways to keep them off balance.

“I think, when I’m able to get ahead and use different stuff and work down in the zone, they’re difficult pitches to hit, and then it’s tough to fall behind and I don’t think I did a great job of coming back and when I did it was, I think, leaving a little bit too predictable [of] pitches in too good of spots,” he said.

If this were a team throwing in the towel, it would make sense to continue giving Povich chances, especially if it feels he’s part of the future. But, if the Orioles are still trying this season, then it might be time to consider sending Povich down to Triple-A to fine-tune and giving Trevor Rogers, who pitched 6 1/3 shutout innings Saturday, another opportunity.

And perhaps Povich’s performance on Wednesday wouldn’t have been as important to the game had the bullpen, playing its seventh game in six days, not been as taxed, something that concerned interim manager Tony Mansolino heading into the game.

They were able to stretch two innings out of Matt Bowman, who had his contract selected to be a fresh arm after being designated for assignment this month. He allowed one run, but the most important part was just eating up outs.

“If we win the game, he’s the MVP of the game, even if [Ryan] O’Hearn hits a three-run homer, which we thought he was going to,” Mansolino said. “If we walk that thing off, for me, the MVP was Bowman. He was outstanding.”

The offense, even with Cedric Mullins and Adley Rutschman returning after they were banged up the past few days, had its chance, too, to support the starter but did not do so.

The Orioles got out to a hot start, small ball putting them up 3-0 in the second thanks to a bunt from Mullins, an RBI groundout from Maverick Handley and a double from Jackson Holliday. They added their other run in the fourth, Mullins scoring on a line drive from Dylan Carlson.

But the story of the night was the opportunities missed. The Orioles were 3-for-17 with runners in scoring position, wasting chances early and late, including getting two runners on in the ninth with the go-ahead run at the plate, only for O’Hearn to ground out on the first pitch to end the game. Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson combined to go 0-for-10.

“It’s kind of been the story for most of the year,” Mansolino said of their performance with runners in scoring position. “I do feel like it has trended up recently. That bullpen that they’ve got, and I think you guys see it, that’s a heck of a bullpen. ... I think the strength of that team is probably that bullpen, and I think that’s probably what beat us tonight.”

Playing through the rain Wednesday allowed them to salvage a Thursday off day, a chance to reset before beginning the weekend series against the Chicago White Sox. With a 19-36 record and the calendar soon turning to June, the Orioles are running out of time to turn things around.

This article has been updated.