CLEVELAND — In the city of rock ‘n roll, the Led Zeppelin lyrics rang true Monday night at Progressive Field. It kept on raining, and the levee broke.

It broke fully in the seventh inning for the Orioles’ pitching staff after an entire night of flirting with disaster. That began with another inauspicious start from right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano and continued with Baltimore’s string of relievers. The Cleveland Guardians stranded a season-high 15 runners on base and still won, 10-5, which underscores how much more lopsided this score could’ve been in the series opener.

As it is, the Orioles’ hot start against right-hander Tanner Bibee gave way to a fifth loss in their last six games, and as the trade deadline approaches in just over a week, the expected sell-off is almost assured.

“We’ve lost some close games. Blew some close games here, unfortunately,” interim manager Tony Mansolino said. “But when I watch the guys out there, I feel like they’re competing. And I think if we compete, regardless of who we have, we’ll be just fine.”

Baltimore fell to 11 games below .500 (44-55) with the loss Monday. Under Mansolino, the Orioles received a momentary burst of life — and as a result, they managed to linger in the wild-card conversation long enough to make the trade deadline outlook hazy.

But the recent downturn, which included series losses to the Miami Marlins and Tampa Bay Rays before Monday’s defeat, left general manager Mike Elias this weekend to acknowledge the reality. During a segment on MLB Network Radio, he said Baltimore would listen to offers for their impending free agents.

“At the end of the day, we’ve got to play better baseball, and come tomorrow and every single day playing hard,” said outfielder Ramón Laureano, who is one of several players who could be traded ahead of the deadline. “That’s all we can control.”

Sugano hasn’t made much of a case for himself lately. The right-hander allowed four runs (three earned) in 3 2/3 innings because of a total lack of command. The four-seam fastball to José Ramírez in the first inning? Right down the middle, after a walk and single to lead off the frame, wasn’t a good option. The ball left Ramírez’s bat for a three-run homer that washed away an electric start for Baltimore.

The Orioles plated three runs off Bibee in the top of the first inning by stringing together four singles. And in the third inning, Laureano’s two-run blast gave Baltimore the lead once more.

“He’s been a catalyst for us all year,” Mansolino said. “He’s just been so good. He plays with a lot of passion, a lot of energy. That’s been him all year.”

But with the way the pitching staff operated Monday, that lead was precarious at best. Sugano faced traffic each inning — and somehow, he avoided the sort of collapse he toyed with each time.

The Guardians loaded the bases in the second and couldn’t score. They put two on base in the third and didn’t score. They required an error to extend the fourth inning, and that unearned run came home before right-hander Corbin Martin got Sugano out of the jam.

In all, Sugano walked a season-high four batters. The constant stream of runners on base forced him into an early exit. Sugano has failed to pitch longer than five innings in six of his last seven outings, and there’s a common theme between them.

Sugano entered with a 7.00 ERA in the first inning of games this year. By the fourth inning, he has a 2.55 ERA. The early trouble has raised Sugano’s pitch counts and leaves him scrambling for a solution.

“I just can’t execute in-game what I’m thinking mentally and physically,” Sugano said through team interpreter Yuto Sakurai. “Especially when things like the first inning, get a three-run homer hit, that affects my mental side. So, you know, there’s those things too. It’s just, the things that I have in mind, I’m not able to execute.”

He added that he is worried that he might be tipping pitches to opposing teams through something in his delivery.

“Until my next outing, I’m gonna talk to my pitching coach and try to make adjustments,” Sugano said.

Behind Sugano, the Orioles’ stable of relievers didn’t quell the Guardians’ offense. And the Orioles couldn’t add on against Bibee, who completed seven innings despite a rocky beginning. Baltimore managed one hit after the third inning.

“For us to go out in the first inning and do what we did, I was proud of the fellas,” Mansolino said. “Bibee came out and hung in the next few innings. In the second inning, he got through it pretty quick, and I think that was probably the most important part of the game for him, the way he kind of kept the pitch count down.”

The hits seemed never-ending for Cleveland, although the Guardians finished 3-for-20 with runners in scoring position.

Martin allowed a solo homer to Bo Naylor, and Kyle Manzardo launched one against right-handed Colin Selby to supply Cleveland with a one-run lead. Then left-hander Grant Wolfram allowed two runs with bases-loaded walk and another two through an RBI single.

“He was close to getting through that thing, and the thing kind of blew up for us,” Mansolino said. “Just tough night.”

It kept on raining. There turned out to be no holding back the swell of runs in what became a hefty loss.