After Wednesday night’s crushing loss to the Rangers, Red Sox manager Alex Cora pointed to one thing in particular his team had to do better.

They had to stop giving up so many home runs.

Since the All-Star break no team has given up more home runs than the Red Sox. They had collectively allowed 52 homers in 24 games entering Thursday — more than two per game — and that trend continued in the team’s 5-1 series-opening loss to the Baltimore Orioles.

Making his return to the Red Sox rotation after skipping his last start due to arm fatigue, Nick Pivetta pitched well but couldn’t keep the ball in the ballpark. He allowed three runs over five innings, and while he struck out six while only giving up three hits, two of those were home runs.

Boston took an initial 1-0 lead in the fourth inning on a solo shot by Wilyer Abreu, who hit his 14th of the season and his second in as many days clear out of Camden Yards and onto Eutaw Street, but the Orioles came right back with a two-run homer by Gunnar Henderson. Pivetta caught a bad break when what should have been a called strike three to Anthony Santander was ruled ball four, and Henderson immediately took advantage with his 31st home run of the season.

Cedric Mullins followed that with a solo home run to right field in the bottom of the fifth, but overall manager Alex Cora was happy with Pivetta’s performance after a nearly two week layoff.

“He was good,” Cora said. “I think stuff-wise he was really good, he gave us five and it was a good night for him.”

Offensively Boston couldn’t get much going against Baltimore starter Zach Eflin. The recent trade deadline acquisition allowed one run on five hits over six innings while striking out eight, and at one point he retired 11 out of 12 batters from the top of the first into the end of the fourth.

“He’s a good pitcher, he has a lot of weapons,” Cora said of Eflin. “He knows how to move the ball around the zone and he did a pretty good job.”

The Red Sox didn’t fare much better against the Orioles bullpen, which collectively limited the club to two hits over three shutout innings.

One highlight for Boston was the MLB debut of right-hander Chase Shugart. The 27-year-old was called up on Monday but hadn’t yet gotten into a game until he was summoned with one out in the bottom of the sixth. By that point the Orioles had already scored a run off Bailey Horn on a Santander double and a Ryan Mountcastle RBI single, but Shugart got Adley Rutschman to fly out before striking out Jackson Holliday to end the inning.

Shugart wound up throwing 2.2 innings, allowing an RBI double to Colton Cowser in the seventh but otherwise keeping things under control. His family was also able to make it to Baltimore and was in the stands for his first big league appearance after six years of grinding in the minors.

“Nobody can take that away from him, he’s a big leaguer,” Cora said. “Whatever happens in the future happens but this day is going to be one he’ll remember.”

But outside of Shugart and his family, Thursday was otherwise a forgettable night for the Red Sox.

With Thursday’s loss the Red Sox are now 1-6 on the season against the Orioles, who have outscored the club 48-23 over those seven games. Boston falls to 63-57 on the season and is now 2.5 games back of the Kansas City Royals for the last American League Wild Card spot.

Boston won’t get a break on Friday, as the Orioles are scheduled to send ace and Cy Young contender Corbin Burnes (12-4, 2.71) to the mound. Barring any unexpected developments the Red Sox will likely activate Cooper Criswell from the COVID-19 injured list and have him start his first game since July 23.