BALTIMORE -- This weekend was a microcosm of the second half for the Orioles, who can’t seem to get rolling the way they did for much of the 2023 season and early in ‘24.

Baltimore split a four-game set with Houston, missing an opportunity to record a series victory -- and their first three-game win streak in more than a month -- on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball. The O’s fell, 6-3, in the finale at Camden Yards, as Alex Bregman and Yainer Diaz lifted the American League West-leading Astros with back-to-back homers in the seventh inning.

The Orioles (76-56) fell back to 1 1/2 games behind the Yankees (77-54) in the AL East.

The attitude hasn’t changed inside the O’s clubhouse, even if the play hasn’t quite been up to their lofty standards.

“We all know that we have the talent,” third baseman Ramón Urías said. “So I think we just have to keep the focus.”

The inconsistency over the past four days was nothing new for Baltimore of late. It hasn’t won three consecutive games since July 14-20, sandwiched around the All-Star break. On the flip side, the team hasn’t lost three in a row since July 21-24.

It felt like the O’s were finally heating up and building momentum after Anthony Santander hit a go-ahead grand slam in the eighth inning of Friday’s 7-5 win, then Jackson Holliday came up big with a pinch-hit three-run double in the sixth during Saturday’s 3-2 victory. The late comebacks and palpable buzz felt reminiscent of last season for the defending AL East champions.

However, two issues have plagued the Orioles in recent weeks, and both emerged again Sunday night: not enough offense and not enough high-leverage bullpen options.

All three of Baltimore’s runs came on a game-tying home run by Urías in the fifth. It finished with two hits, the other being an Eloy Jiménez single that came three batters prior to Urías’ Statcast-projected 416-foot homer, his ninth of the season (and fourth since Aug. 10).

It was the fourth time in eight games the O’s were held to three or fewer hits.

“I think we’ve been struggling to put good at-bats together as a team,” said Urías, who is hitting .298 (14-for-47) with 13 RBIs over his past 16 games amid the offense’s overall scuffles.

As the bats stayed relatively dormant, the bullpen continued to show cracks. Burch Smith’s tough month continued, as the 34-year-old right-hander yielded the homers to Bregman and Diaz on consecutive pitches. Bregman broke a 3-3 tie by connecting on a 1-0 curveball, then Diaz jumped on a first-pitch sweeper and jolted it 455 feet.

Smith had a 1.80 ERA over his first nine appearances for the Orioles from July 12-Aug. 4. Since then, he has a 10.38 ERA (10 earned runs in 8 2/3 innings) over his past nine outings.

“Tonight, he got beat with his breaking ball. He was throwing 98-99 [mph] and strikes,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “He’s got a really good arm, he throws 99 mph. I don’t know if they were sitting on it or what.”

It hasn’t helped Baltimore that it continues to be banged up -- even beyond the long list of players who are currently on the injured list.

The O’s were again two players down on Sunday, as first baseman Ryan Mountcastle (right wrist soreness) and center fielder Cedric Mullins (left quad tightness) remained out of the lineup. Mountcastle’s right-handed bat would have been especially useful against Astros lefty Yusei Kikuchi, who tossed 5 2/3 solid innings.

A return to full strength can only help the Orioles moving forward.

“I would hope so, once everybody kind of gets back and into their shoes and everybody feels comfortable in their skin,” said right-hander Dean Kremer, who allowed three runs in six innings for his third straight quality start. “Once that kind of happens, I think we’re going to be in a good spot.”