BALTIMORE -- This is the Marcus Semien the Rangers have been waiting for.

Now more than a month removed from his early-season slump, Semien continued to return to form Monday, doing a little bit of everything in Texas’ 7-6 extra-inning loss to the Orioles. Connecting for a go-ahead ninth-inning home run off struggling Baltimore closer Jorge López, Semien snapped a 5-5 tie to cap a three-hit day before the Rangers’ bullpen bent in the ninth and broke in the 10th.

“He’s having a really good month and he's been one of our best hitters, so for him to come up big right there, that was a big moment for him, and obviously for the team,” manager Chris Woodward said. “Just the way the game was kind of playing out, I knew something odd was potentially going to happen. We didn't play that great today. We made a lot of mistakes.”

The last of these mistakes came in the form of a walk-off hit-by-pitch in the 10th, on the second of only two pitches Matt Moore would throw in the decisive frame. This after Joe Barlow’s third blown save in 16 tries sent the game to extras, further masking Semien’s impact on an ultimately disappointing Independence Day. But the long-term takeaway was how Semien continues to find his footing in Texas and look more and more like the star he was in Oakland and Toronto.

“He's been great for us for a while,” Woodward said. “Outside of the first month, he’s been the All-Star player we expected. The way he runs the bases, everything he does defensively, he's been playing really well over there, turning a lot of double plays. He’s been as complete a player as you can be.”

Signed to a seven-year, $175 million free agent contract last winter, Semien arrived in Texas fresh off a three-season stretch in which he hit 85 home runs and collected two top-three finishes in AL MVP voting. But he opened 2022 in a deep slump, hitting .157 in April and .196 with three homers through his first 52 games as a Ranger.

When he looks back on the season, he might look to the Rangers’ June 7 doubleheader in Cleveland as a turning point. Semien collected seven hits and homered thrice in the twin bill and caught fire from there, hitting .324/.372/.584 with seven homers over his past 25 games. The homer inside the left-field foul pole Monday marked Semien’s fourth career ninth-inning go-ahead home run and first since Sept. 3, 2021. He’s now homered thrice in his last six games.

“I definitely started out slow, it definitely took me a little time to get it going, but I’m feeling a lot better,” Semien said. “I've always enjoyed [hitting] here. The [left-field] wall is different, but if you pull it down the line, it can still get out of here. It's a place I've always enjoyed coming to.”

Said starter Dane Dunning: “He comes in here and does work and you're starting to see it. He's extremely talented, obviously, and now we're kind of seeing him put it all together. It's fun to watch.”

Speed has always been an element of Semien’s game. He posted double-digit steals in seven of the past eight seasons (the pandemic-shortened 2020 being the only exception). But he’s running more than ever this year at age 31. Semien’s sixth-inning stolen base Monday was his 14th in 16 tries -- already one off his career high, set in ‘21.

“I'm just trying to take advantage of the opportunities presented to me. This organization, Texas, has always been aggressive. I played in Oakland, where we relied more on walks and home runs to score. We try and create a little bit more havoc here.”

The Rangers lead MLB with 66 team steals and are the only team in baseball with at least three players with 10-plus stolen bases (Semien, Eli White, Adolis García). The incentive to put pressure on the defense was even greater with Semien and Corey Seager (.230, .715 OPS), the Rangers’ other big bat, slumping. Seager had two hits and reached three times behind Semien on Monday as he tries to climb out of his own early-season hole.

“We’re aggressive,” Woodward said. “We identify [pitchers] we can run on, and if they give us the time, we’ll go. If not, we’ll be ready to go. That’s what I want them to know. You better not give us the time, because we will take second base.”