Nearly six months ago, Cade Povich took the mound at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in front of a sold-out crowd, the rain clearing just in time for the home opener.

The Orioles were 2-2 then, and injuries were just starting to become a problem, with Grayson Rodriguez, Colton Cowser and Andrew Kittredge sidelined. They won the home opener, beating the Red Sox 8-5, and moved to 3-2 on the season.

It would be the last time the Orioles were above .500 this season.

Now, as the season is ending and the Orioles took the field for the last time at home this year, the only two of those things that remained the same from that March day were the weather, which once again held off just enough to get the game in, and Povich, who took the mound. Only two other players in the home opener lineup, Ryan Mountcastle and Jordan Westburg, started on Thursday and just two from the bullpen, Keegan Akin and Yennier Cano, remain on the team.

But the one player who wasn’t there — and who most people probably didn’t expect to be in the majors at the start of the season — was the one who played the hero in the final home game of the season. Dylan Beavers hit a walk-off home run, propelling the Orioles to a 6-5 win over the Rays on Thursday.

“It was awesome, especially going down early,” Beavers said. “We battled back. We didn’t roll over. We kept fighting in that game. Coby [Mayo] had that huge swing to put us back in it. It was awesome, sending the fans back home with something good. It was awesome.”

The Orioles will head to New York Thursday night for the final three games of the season against the Yankees this weekend, then go their separate ways for the offseason.

For most of the game, the Orioles played in a way that was only fitting for this season — their starter gave them a so-so performance, while the offense left the bases loaded and went 2-for-8 with runners in scoring position.

Povich pitched 5 2/3 innings, allowing five runs. He ended his season with a 5.21 ERA in 22 games, nearly identical to how he performed during his rookie season. His place on the team next season will depend entirely on how the front office performs this winter and the health of the other starters — he got the opening day start and remained in the rotation when he was healthy, because of the injuries to those around him.

“I think there were some times where I showed some really good things and maybe showed what I have or what I could have, but at this level, just showing flashes or showing things here and there isn’t gonna be good enough,” Povich said. “Just try to build a consistency toward the side of those flashes, make them consistent and make them not flashes. Make them who I am.”

Trevor Rogers, Tyler Wells, Kyle Bradish and Dean Kremer will make up the foundation next season, and the Orioles should seek another arm to join them. Povich, who has options, should be a depth piece, but he needs to improve his fastball command, interim manager Tony Mansolino said.

“I think for this place going forward, to compete against these rotations in this division, you look at that rotation Tampa is going to have next year, especially if [Shane] McClanahan comes back, and some of the arms we’ve seen,” Mansolino said. “Obviously the Boston rotation is good and it’s going to get better; they are going to add. The Yankees rotation next year projects really, really good. That Toronto thing is going to be really, really good. For Cade to make the Orioles rotation competitive, he’s got some work to do this winter, and I think he knows that. Is he capable of it? Does he have the potential? No doubt. But he’s also, you know, getting to that age and that point where he’s got to pull it out of himself.”

Ryan Mountcastle, in potentially his last game at Camden Yards as a member of the Orioles, hit a home run in the third inning, just his seventh of the season as he played in just over half the games.

Although he’s hit five home runs in the final two months of the season, his power numbers are nowhere near where they were in 2021, when he hit 33. The Orioles are expected to trade him this winter, because they have Mayo and Samuel Basallo, who can split time at first base next year.

“You never know what’s going to happen,” Mountcastle said. “Would love to come back. If it is my last game, I had a lot of fun here. If not, I’m super excited, I love all these guys. They’re my family.”

Mountcastle also had a RBI single in the fifth, then scored on a wild pitch in the eighth. Mayo hit a two-run homer to tie the game 5-5, but the Orioles left Adley Rutschman stranded at third after he tripled.

But in the ninth it took just one pitch. Beavers took a cutter to right field, propelling the Orioles to a win. In a season when there hasn’t been much to cheer for, Beavers and the Orioles provided one last moment for their fans to savor at Camden Yards.

This article has been updated.