This time last week, the Orioles were just a half-game behind the Yankees in the AL East and had just won at Boston. In the five games since then, Baltimore is 1-4, scoring fewer than two runs per game, and the AL East deficit has grown to four games.

The state of this O’s team has been pretty consistent lately: Most of the time, they get good starting pitchers. In September, the Orioles’ starting pitchers have a 2.89 ERA – the seventh-best in the major leagues. Zach Eflin continues to be excellent, Corbin Burnes is back to playing his best baseball, and the rest of the team has followed suit. Too often, though, the bats have been so eerily quiet that it doesn’t matter.

The Orioles’ lineup as a whole has deteriorated so much that it’s basically just Gunnar Henderson, Cedric Mullins, and a bunch of other players. In September, the Orioles are 6-2 in games where either Henderson or Mullins scores an RBI. In games where neither the SS nor the CF contribute to the score, the O’s are 0-6. The Orioles have scored 49 runs in September, and Henderson and Mullins have scored nearly 40% of those runs. Add Anthony Santander to the mix, and that trio has scored over 50% of the Orioles’ runs this month.

The Orioles’ next attempt to fix their offense will come against the Giants and rookie Hayden Birdsong. After struggling in August (with an ERA of 8.68), the former sixth-round pick from Eastern Illinois has looked much better in his last two outings. In his last start against the Brewers, he held Milwaukee to two hits and no runs over five innings. It was only his second start this year in which he pitched at least five innings without allowing a run.

If the Orioles are patient against Birdsong, they should get some runs. The rookie’s control is among the worst in baseball this year, and he averages six walks per nine innings when pitching away. After the Orioles had 22 swings and misses against Blake Snell on Tuesday, they’ll have to be more selective against the hard-throwing right-hander.

Baltimore counters with Dean Kremer, who looks to continue his excellent form when he faces the Giants. The Northern California native has made five good starts in his last six games, holding opponents to a .213 average and posting a 2.63 ERA. Kremer will likely resort to his splitter often when facing a Giants lineup that has seen relatively few split-finger fastballs this season. Of today’s starters, only former Oriole prospect Mike Yastrzemski has a splitter hit over .200, and most have seen fewer than 20 splitters all season.

Orioles lineup

1. Gunnar Henderson (L) SS
2. Cedric Mullins (left) CF
3. Anthony Santander (S) RF
4. Heston Kjerstad (L) DH
5. Colton Cowser (left) LF
6. Ryan O’Hearn (L) 1B
7. Emmanuel Rivera (R) 3B
8. Jackson Holliday (L) 2B
9. James McCann (R) C

Starting pitcher: RHP Dean Kremer (7-9, 4.10 ERA, 113 Ks)

Lineup of the Giants

1. Mike Yastrzemski (left) RF
2. Lamont Wade Jr. (L) 1B
3. Heliot Ramos (R) LF
4. Michael Conforto (L) DH
5. Tyler Fitzgerald (R) SS
6. Grant McCray (left) midfielder
7. Casey Schmitt (R) 3B
8. Donovan Walton (L) 2B
9. Curt Casali (R) C

Starting pitcher: Hayden Birdsong (3-5, 4.74 ERA, 68 Ks)