MIAMI — Burch Smith finally allowed a baserunner.

It had taken long enough. The right-hander retired 10 batters over the first 3 1/3 innings of his time as an Oriole before Marlins first baseman Josh Bell slapped a single into the outfield Tuesday night.

And then Smith sent three more batters packing in quick succession, all down on strikes.

The sample is small when it comes to Smith’s time in Baltimore, but the early returns have been strong. And, as the Orioles sift for gold among the murky and ever-changing waters of the bullpen stream, Smith could be another unearthed reliever with high upside despite a roundabout journey here.

Baltimore has developed a propensity for discovering impact relievers after they were cast aside elsewhere. There are Yennier Cano, Danny Coulombe and Jacob Webb as recent examples, and Smith could be the latest to join the group of resurgent hurlers.

“You just never know where bullpen guys may come from sometimes, and sometimes you roll the hot hand, and maybe a change of scenery or different pitch mix or different attack plan for guys is what they need,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “Whenever somebody comes, you’re hoping it’s somebody who can help us, and so far Burch has. The couple times he’s pitched, he’s pitched extremely well.”

Smith covered 1 2/3 scoreless innings in Tuesday’s loss — doing so against the team that released him last month. Since joining the Orioles on July 11, Smith has allowed one baserunners in 4 1/3 innings.

Getting here, back on the mound at LoanDepot Park, has been anything but straightforward. Across his 130 major league games entering Tuesday, Smith held a 5.72 ERA. The 2011 14th-round draft pick bounced between the minors and majors with the San Diego Padres, Kansas City Royals, Milwaukee Brewers, San Francisco Giants and Oakland Athletics before leaving the U.S. altogether.

He pitched in Japan and Korea in 2022 and 2023, then made it back to the major leagues with Miami after the Tampa Bay Rays traded him shortly before opening day this year.

By June, Smith held a 4.25 ERA and 1.62 WHIP. He was designated for assignment and released soon after. But a minor league deal with the Orioles followed in short order, and Smith was on the move again.

“Definitely kind of a hectic last four to six weeks,” Smith said.

In the month he’s spent in Baltimore’s organization, Smith has tweaked nearly all of his pitches. As a former starting pitcher, he values an array of offerings but focuses on his four-seam fastball, cutter and curveball.

“Just kind of tweaking and revisiting,” Smith said. “Always trying to improve. That’s the fun thing with this game. There’s always something you can get better on. I’m 34 now, and I feel like there’s an infinite amount of things I can keep learning and keep improving on.”

Then there was the sweeper he uncorked to the surprise of New York Yankees catcher Jose Trevino on July 12. It twirled in, landing on the outer edge of the zone for strike three.

Smith hasn’t thrown one since, but the sweeper is a pitch he’s exploring potentially to evolve his arsenal. He threw it earlier in the season and “didn’t like where it was at and sort of stopped throwing it,” but with the Orioles he’s open to working on it between outings.

“You don’t want to overload yourself, but the more you can throw for a strike and make the hitter think about, or at least have to cover, the better,” Smith said. “I definitely like the pitch, and it pairs well with my other pitches, so I’m onboard with it.”

It helps to see the track record of reclamation projects who have come before — Cano, Coulombe and Webb are everyday examples of what’s possible for a journeyman pitcher looking for a chance in the bullpen.

And, with each scoreless appearance, Smith shows signs that perhaps he, too, can join those ranks.

“Our focus is on the postseason, and that’s where everyone’s goal is,” Smith said. “I hope I can be a part of that, and it’s always fun to win. It’s never fun to lose. Every day I just want to keep getting better, and I think this is a good place to do that.”