BALTIMORE -- A grueling, relentless June for the Orioles ended with an 11-2 loss to the Rangers at Camden Yards, their 29th game in 30 days this month. After falling on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball, the O’s boarded a plane heading for Seattle, where they’ll get a well-earned Monday off-day.

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June wasn’t Baltimore’s best month, but it was still a solid one. The O’s went 17-12 despite enduring a season-long five-game losing streak that featured a three-game sweep in Houston last weekend and a pair of losses to Cleveland earlier this week.

The Orioles capped the challenging stretch by taking three of four from Texas, the team that swept them in last year’s American League Division Series. June also featured series wins over the Rays, Braves, Phillies and Yankees -- all currently at .500 or better.

Baltimore (53-31) is tied with New York (54-32) atop the AL East standings entering July.

“We had a little tough stretch in there -- that’s hard not to have when you’re playing that much baseball against the teams we’ve played against,” manager Brandon Hyde said of June. “I think we’ve done really, really well. I think we’ve handled it well.

“We’ve had some pitching injuries and some things. We’ve had to have guys step up. We’ve had to play through nagging injuries. We’ve had a lot of things happen this month. Our guys have competed every night.”

Three Orioles starters underwent season-ending UCL surgeries in June -- left-hander John Means (Tommy John) and righties Kyle Bradish (Tommy John) and Tyler Wells (UCL repair). Yet, the club’s rotation still ranks second in MLB with a 3.36 ERA.

But in the long term, the starting staff may not continue to include Cole Irvin, who owned a 2.87 ERA following his June 7 outing at Tampa Bay and then did not fare well during the second half of the month.

Irvin allowed a season-high-tying five runs in Sunday night’s finale vs. Texas, lasting only 3 2/3 innings in the shortest of his 14 starts this year. Over his final four June outings, the 30-year-old southpaw recorded an 8.50 ERA and a 1.89 WHIP.

“By no means am I trying to back away from what’s been going on,” said Irvin, whose ERA is up to 4.13. “Trying to make the adjustments to where I was good earlier in the season. It’s there. It’s close. We’re not far off. ... Didn’t have a good month this month. So new month, best foot forward. I’ll be ready to go.”

This week, Baltimore is likely to reinstate right-hander Dean Kremer (triceps strain) from the injured list and reinsert him into the rotation. The O’s could option lefty Cade Povich (the club’s No. 9 prospect per MLB Pipeline) to Triple-A Norfolk, or either Irvin or righty Albert Suárez could move to the bullpen, where each had a stint earlier in the year.

However Irvin is deployed, his primary focus is team success. That’s why he’s “really proud” of how the Orioles navigated their tough June schedule.

“One off-day is not easy against some really good ballclubs,” Irvin said. “We had some tough baseball this month, and we showed our grit. We showed that we can get through it.”

Next up for Baltimore is a six-game West Coast road trip through Seattle and Oakland. The O’s will then return home to finish the first half with a pair of three-game series against the Cubs and Yankees.

So the Orioles will flush Sunday’s lopsided loss, enjoy their short reprieve Monday and then begin another challenging set against the AL West-leading Mariners on Tuesday night.

“It’s been a tough stretch,” shortstop Gunnar Henderson said. “Obviously, it didn't end the way we wanted to, but I felt like we did really well for the circumstances that we had, one off-day. I felt like we put ourselves in a good position to set us up for the last half.”

Added Hyde: “We’ve got to keep our foot on the gas. But the way our guys grinded through that month, I’m really proud of those guys.”