The first 50 games of this Orioles season often have felt like a whirlwind sprint: homer hoses, bird baths, close games and a whole lot of wins.

This second part of the year, then, might be when the team learns to keep running through the shin splints.

On Sunday, the Orioles (34-19) just barely got over the line, getting an eighth-inning single from the red-hot Austin Hays to give them the go-ahead run in a 3-2 win over the Texas Rangers (33-19). The Orioles had already lost the series in less-than-impressive opening showings, but they avoided getting swept for the first time this season.

“I swear, it’s unbelievable,” manager Brandon Hyde laughed. “We have so many close games.”

It wasn’t quite the breezy performance that has thus far made Baltimore one of the best teams in baseball, but this group is going to need grit.

On the one hand, the Orioles finished a 22-game stretch against tough teams with a 13-9 record, better than many league observers might have guessed given their overall inexperience. During their most recent 5-1 road trip against AL East opponents Toronto and New York, the Orioles won tight and in extra innings — in games that Hyde said had September levels of intensity.

But it sure ain’t September yet. The Orioles showed some of their fatigue in a 12-2 loss to Texas on Friday, then couldn’t close the gap in a 5-3 defeat Saturday. The final game of the series saw them get back to the type of baseball that’s helped them go 10-6 in one-run games.

“You try to be as consistent as possible, try not to make too big a deal over wins and losses because it’s such a long season,” Hyde said. “I said the other day, not every game is a wild-card game. So this is a marathon for sure.”

There are signs the Orioles are coming down to earth. After not giving up an earned run in his first 17 appearances, setup man Yennier Cano has allowed three in his last five outings. The latest came Sunday in the top of the eighth, when Cano gave up an RBI double to Corey Seager with just one out to go, tying the game at 2.

Hyde later said he was “kicking himself” for not going to the bullpen earlier, preferring at the time to entrust Cano’s stellar record in tight situations.

Hays kept capitalizing, however, on an aggressive plate approach that has seen his average rise to .322 with an .887 OPS. He also smacked a standup triple in the third, rounding out a 3-for-4 day. He’s had extra-base hits in his last four games, which has made an impression in the Splash Zone but also with Hyde, who marveled: “He is playing some great baseball right now.”

Closer Felix Bautista came on in the ninth to strike out the side against the middle of the Rangers lineup, which has had some of the hottest bats in baseball in the last month.

With more than 100 games remaining, the Orioles will have to learn to grind out more games with some of their early invincibility wearing off. Starter Kyle Bradish exemplified the gutsy play that could help them down the stretch.

Coming off a close loss in New York last week, Bradish was sharp early, striking out the side in the first inning. The Orioles offense kicked off with similar aplomb, bouncing back from an underwhelming start to the series. The first four batters all reached base, and Ryan Mountcastle delivered a sac fly to give the Orioles a 2-0 lead in the first.

Baltimore bats cooled off, but Bradish didn’t. He got himself out of a second-inning jam, running to first to finish a double play before striking out Travis Jankowski. He then retired nine straight batters before giving up a single and an RBI double in the sixth for his only earned run.

“First innings are usually pretty good for me, coming out the gates hot,” Bradish said. “And then going from there it’s going to be a battle.”

He gave up just four hits and a walk in 6 2/3 innings while throwing a season-high 85 pitches, walking off the mound to an ovation from the 25,124 in attendance at Camden Yards.

The Orioles continue their homestand Monday against the Cleveland Guardians. While the competition may taper off as May ends, Hays said the team’s challenge is not to taper off themselves as the mileage keeps racking up.

“I think the biggest part of not getting into all that is sticking to the plan every day,” he said. “You show up with a fresh mindset, and it does not matter what you did the day before. You have a new challenge ahead on that day.”

kyle.goon@thebaltimorebanner.com