In most situations, the grazing of Heston Kjerstad’s foot by a pitch from right-hander Sean Hjelle would’ve been an acceptable outcome. It loaded the bases in the seventh inning with two outs and put the go-ahead runner on base for the Orioles.

But not now. As James McCann walked back toward third base, returning rather than scoring on what he thought was a wild pitch, the state of Baltimore’s offense hung on the pixels of monitors in New York, as the Major League Baseball replay center reviewed whether Kjerstad really was hit.

He was. McCann returned to third, and Kjerstad took his base.

And then all three runners were stranded.

The Orioles, as it turned out, could’ve really used a wild pitch there. A run would’ve scored. Instead, with two outs, Colton Cowser did what so many of his teammates have done in these situations over the last few months. When a clutch hit was required, he flied out.

To pin it on Cowser, though, is to ignore the numerous other times when Orioles hitters couldn’t come through. In Baltimore’s 5-3 loss to the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday, the team stranded eight baserunners and finished 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position. Since the All-Star break, the Orioles are hitting in the bottom half of the league in those situations (.246).

“I just think we’re missing that big hit right now,” Cowser said. “I felt like we strung together some good ones throughout the night, and I think the mindset going forward is just to get it to the next guy.”

This hasn’t come easily. And, with it, the Orioles trail the New York Yankees by 4.5 games in the American League East (the Yankees play late Wednesday against the Seattle Mariners). They’ve also dropped their last four series and only one of those opponents held an above-.500 record.

They have lost nine of 12 games for the first time since September 2021.

“I hope so,” right-hander Dean Kremer said when asked if he thought a turnaround was near for the club. “I think a lot of guys are starting to feel themselves out. Guys are getting a little bit more confidence at the plate, with the glove, with the ball in their hand. We’re doing our best.”

Kremer performed well but took a step back from his recent dominance. Apart from his start in Colorado, when he was hit by a comeback line drive and exited early, Kremer had allowed three runs or fewer in five of his last six starts.

His first pitch Wednesday, though, presaged a regression. Mike Yastrzemski lifted a leadoff homer for the second straight game. The outing got further away from Kremer in the fourth, when the Giants strung together four singles and a fielder’s choice to tally three runs.

“The saying is, ‘Solo’s don’t kill you,’” Kremer said. “If I’m giving up homers and they’re just solos, so be it. And then the big inning, I didn’t do a good enough job of limiting damage. Balls got put in play a little bit too hard and just out of the reach of some fielders.”

Of course, that run total could’ve been smaller. On the second bunt of the fourth inning, Kremer flipped a would-be forceout to McCann, the catcher. But McCann’s foot was off the plate and the run scored — another example of the little details going awry of late.

When Baltimore discusses why the second half has gone so poorly, a slew of injuries is often a main culprit. But the Orioles have acknowledged those lapses in the field, on the bases, on the mound and at the plate. And, with the way the offense has performed, gifting the Giants a run didn’t help the task ahead.

There was more offensive spark Wednesday. McCann’s RBI double in the third inning joined Cedric Mullins’ run-scoring groundout to give the Orioles a momentary lead. Ryan O’Hearn entered with a .156 average in September but drove an opposite-field RBI double in the sixth.

“I thought the encouraging thing with tonight’s game a little bit is that I thought our at-bats were better,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “I thought we created more traffic; I thought we walked. Now we’re just waiting for some breaks offensively and a chopper to get through, something off the label to fall onto the outfield grass. But we gave ourself opportunity tonight, so I thought our at-bats were better.”

Even in the third, when two runs crossed the plate, the deficiencies were clear. With two runners on and no outs, Gunnar Henderson struck out. Mullins’ grounder brought in a run, then Anthony Santander grounded out to end what might’ve been a larger inning.

In the sixth, with O’Hearn on third and two outs, pinch hitter Austin Slater punched out. And in the seventh, when McCann and Henderson reached base with no outs, the refrain was familiar. They were stranded.

That’s the way this offense has operated of late — a glimmer here and there, then a lapse that ends the inning.

The decision to pinch-hit Slater for Jackson Holliday in the sixth didn’t work as well as the choice to leave O’Hearn in against a left-hander. But that was less to do with Hyde than with the lack of strong bench options. Slater, who entered with a .357 on-base percentage against southpaws, struck out against Erik Miller. Holliday’s on-base percentage against lefties is .222 with a .103 average.

The injuries to several position players have left Baltimore in this position. The Orioles are relying on journeymen and prospects to hold things over until healthy players return. Infielders Jordan Westburg and Ramón Urías could be back soon; they’re beginning rehab assignments with Triple-A Norfolk on Thursday.

But until then Emmanuel Rivera, Slater, Holliday, Liván Soto and Coby Mayo are receiving everyday plate appearances. The results are mixed — and, with many regulars slumping, the offense has struggled in the second half.

So the Orioles will rue the lack of clutch hitting another night. They have 10 more games to turn this around. Although a postseason berth is almost a sure thing, the performances heading toward October don’t inspire confidence.