As the players took the field Saturday night — an hour after they expected due to a rain delay — a double rainbow arched over Camden Yards.

It was an indication, perhaps, that this was going to be a special night.

When the game began, that sentiment only grew. The Orioles’ Cade Povich, a promising young prospect recalled to start Saturday, showed signs from his first pitch that he was on, Povich, he said, channeling his alter ego.

“Some of the guys down here called me Slim,” he said. “I kind of took that attitude into this game. Different mindset, different person. Someone that is going to be aggressive and attack early.”

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He did just that. He had a career night, allowing two runs in 6 1/3 innings. The Orioles still fell to the Red Sox 5-1, their offense compiling only two hits off Boston starter Brayan Bello.

For Povich, the path to success at the major league level is simple: Throw more strikes. That plan, of course, is easier said than done. Although he’s shown flashes in his first eight major league starts of the type of pitcher he can be, it’s the command that’s held him back. He allowed five walks in his previous two starts with the Orioles, prompting the team to send him back to Triple-A.

Back with Norfolk, he worked on attacking the strike zone and getting ahead early. He returned as reinforcement for a weakened rotation. Baltimore has enough starters on the injured list to form its own rotation and is hoping that, by starting Povich and pushing the remaining healthy arms back a day, it can prevent more from being added.

Perhaps, though, what Povich showed was enough to warrant filling more than a spot start, especially as other starters go through rough patches. Corbin Burnes allowed a career-high eight runs Friday and has a 5.40 ERA since the All-Star Break. Trevor Rogers has a 7.53 ERA in three starts since the Orioles acquired him at the trade deadline.

Povich’s first inning was efficient, the 24-year-old southpaw needing just eight pitches, seven of which were strikes, to retire the side. He gave up a base hit in the second, but he kept his pitch count low and didn’t allow anyone to reach base again until the fifth. He gave up one run in the sixth, then returned in the seventh, his pitch count at 79. He struck out Romy González, then gave up a single to Triston Casas.

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That was enough for manager Brandon Hyde to remove him. Povich, who didn’t allow a walk, exited to a standing ovation, giving him chills.

“I thought he had a really good changeup,” Hyde said. “I thought he was ultra aggressive in the strike zone. It was great to see him throw multiple pitches for strikes and really attacking them. ... It was great to see the command from Cade tonight and how he attacked hitters.”

While Povich chased a milestone, Bello had something brewing as well. He breezed through the Orioles lineup, allowing a walk in the second but no hits through five innings. In the sixth, Gunnar Henderson connected on a changeup, sending it soaring to center field for a home run. His relief, to finally have a hit, was evident.

“He’s just really good,” Hyde said of Bello. “He’s got a sinker that he throws to both sides of the plate that’s firm. He’s got a great changeup, and he can throw his slider. He threw Mounty [Ryan Mountcastle] some sliders, threw some sliders to our lefties, as well. He’s got good command, he walked a few, but he’s always a ground ball away because of the good sinker. He’s got a really good changeup, as well.”

Bello was done after the sixth, and the Orioles loaded the bases in the seventh after Jackson Holliday and Ramón Urías singled and Colton Cowser walked. Anthony Santander grounded out to end the inning, Baltimore walking away without adding anything to the scoreboard.

Boston pulled further ahead in the eighth as Burch Smith, pitching for the third night in a row, allowed a two-run homer.