BALTIMORE -- The Orioles needed the second-half version of Grayson Rodriguez on Sunday. They needed the rookie right-hander to show the same poise and composure he did while helping pitch the team into the postseason. They needed length, and they needed a rising star to step up to even the American League Division Series vs. the Rangers. It was a lot to ask of the 23-year-old, but this is the postseason.

Rodriguez was not up to the task in his brief playoff debut, setting the tone early in Game 2 and giving Baltimore too much of a hole to climb out of -- even though, in trademark fashion, it came close to doing so.

Now, the O¡¯s incredible 2023 season is on the brink.

The Orioles are facing a 2-0 deficit in the ALDS after a late comeback attempt fell short in an 11-8 loss to the Rangers at Camden Yards. For Baltimore to extend its season, it will need to win Tuesday¡¯s Game 3 at Globe Life Field to force a Game 4 there Wednesday -- which it will also need to win to force a winner-take-all Game 5 back home Friday.

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¡°There¡¯s really no quit in this team,¡± said Rodriguez, who went only 1 2/3 innings and allowed five runs, all of which came during a five-hit, two-walk rally by Texas in the second.

Rodriguez¡¯s outing was the third shortest by a starter in Orioles postseason history. The only shorter starts were by Jim Palmer (Game 4 of the 1973 AL Championship Series) and Dennis Martinez (Game 4 of the 1979 World Series), who each went only 1 1/3 innings.

¡°He was getting ahead of quite a few hitters there, especially in that big inning, just had a tough time putting guys away,¡± manager Brandon Hyde said of Rodriguez. ¡°Just a young starter that just didn't have his best stuff from the get-go."

Earlier this year, Rodriguez had a similarly tough showing vs. the Rangers at Camden Yards. On May 26, he allowed nine runs (eight earned) in 3 1/3 innings, and he was optioned back to Triple-A Norfolk the next day. He was much improved upon his return to the big leagues, posting a 2.58 ERA in 13 second-half outings, a performance that earned him the ALDS Game 2 start.

Since rejoining Baltimore¡¯s rotation, Rodriguez hadn¡¯t allowed more than four earned runs -- which happened only once, in his return outing vs. the Dodgers on July 17 -- until Sunday, when he yielded six hits and four walks in his abbreviated 59-pitch start.

¡°He¡¯s been phenomenal for us. This is kind of something you don¡¯t expect,¡± outfielder Aaron Hicks said. ¡°He¡¯s such a good pitcher, he¡¯s been good for us down the stretch. It¡¯s just unfortunate.¡±

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It was then a long night for a Baltimore bullpen that has shown it doesn¡¯t quite have the depth to navigate the bulk of a tense, high-stakes postseason contest. The Rangers busted the game open on Mitch Garver¡¯s third-inning grand slam off right-hander Jacob Webb, putting the O¡¯s in a 9-2 hole that was too much to overcome.

Still, there was a valiant effort by the Orioles, owners of an AL-high 48 comeback wins during the regular season. They pushed across a pair of runs in the fourth, then Gunnar Henderson swatted a solo homer (the rookie¡¯s first in the postseason) in the fifth.

Baltimore made things much more interesting in the bottom of the ninth, when Henderson drew a one-out walk and moved to second on an Austin Hays single. That prompted Texas manager Bruce Bochy to pull left-hander Brock Burke for righty Jos¨¦ Leclerc (who earned the save in Saturday¡¯s Game 1).

Hicks greeted Leclerc by launching a three-run homer to right-center field, giving the 46,475 at Camden Yards a sliver of renewed optimism.

¡°We¡¯re out there scoring runs,¡± Hicks said. ¡°We¡¯re doing everything possible to try to win these games.¡±

But Leclerc regrouped, as he got pinch-hitter Ryan O¡¯Hearn to fly out to left field and struck out Cedric Mullins to again send a raucous Baltimore crowd -- hungry for postseason success -- home unhappy, despite the O¡¯s last-ditch efforts.

¡°Even when we were down 9-2, we kept fighting and brought it back pretty close,¡± Henderson said. ¡°It just goes to show you that no matter what the situation is, we¡¯re going to keep fighting and never count us out.¡±

The 101-win, AL East champion Orioles have been resilient all season. But they now face their toughest task yet.

In all best-of-five postseason series, teams that have taken a 2-0 lead have gone on to win 78 of 88 times (89 percent). In Division Series with the current 2-2-1 format, 14 of the 16 clubs (88 percent) to win Games 1 and 2 on the road have advanced, 10 via sweep.

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The most recent team to win Games 1 and 2 on the road and not win? The Rangers, who blew a 2-0 lead in the 2015 ALDS to the Blue Jays.

Before looking too far ahead, though, Baltimore must first focus on not getting swept, something that hasn¡¯t happened to the club since May 13-15, 2022, a span of 91 multigame series. The O¡¯s will look to notch their first postseason win since the ¡®14 ALDS -- and stave off elimination -- on Tuesday.

¡°We¡¯ve got to keep scoring runs. We¡¯ve got to keep putting pressure on them, getting into the bullpen deep. We¡¯ve got to keep doing what we do,¡± Hicks said. ¡°We¡¯ve just got to keep pushing forward, because we can¡¯t lose again.¡±