The Orioles’ offense has slogged through the past week with a long-awaited break in sight.

They were lifeless again Thursday night.

Inning after inning, Baltimore batters were retired with ease. The Orioles didn’t record a hit until the fourth. And after being shut out for the first time in more than two months Wednesday, they were blanked again on just five hits as their scoreless streak reached 24 innings.

The lineup’s rut was compounded by an underwhelming start from Albert Suárez in an 8-0 loss to the Chicago Cubs, who won their fourth straight and handed the Orioles their third sweep of the season.

The Orioles (57-36) have lost four of their past five games entering a pivotal weekend series against the New York Yankees. They enter those final three games before the All-Star break with their American League East lead that they’ve held all month down to two games.

“We just didn’t do a whole lot of anything in this series,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “We didn’t play well at all in any aspect.”

Baltimore’s scuffling lineup is at the center of that shrinking gap. Entering Thursday, the Orioles scored 3.5 runs per game and were 12-for-68 with runners in scoring position over their past eight contests. They hardly threatened to improve that mark.

Only three Orioles reached second base until Jordan Westburg’s double in the ninth inning with the game out of reach. They were all promptly stranded. Thursday marked the first time Baltimore was held scoreless in consecutive games since June 2021 and the first time the Orioles have been swept at home since August 2021.

Cubs left-hander Justin Steele delivered seven shutout innings on just 70 pitches, only striking out four as the Orioles’ hitters consistently found Chicago gloves. He pitched a complete game in his last start and likely would have been asked to do it again if not for his team’s eight-run lead. Drew Smyly and former Orioles closer Jorge López allowed just two hits in two scoreless innings of relief.

“It’s been a rough few days,” Hyde said. “We just got flat-out beat and didn’t play well.”

Steele’s counterpart, enjoying an impressive season, was less imposing. Hyde never thought Suárez would turn into the mainstay that he’s been this season. After joining the team on a minor league deal and beginning the season in Triple-A, the 34-year-old right-hander likely didn’t envision this path, either.

Suárez has stepped up in a variety of ways for the Orioles throughout the first half as a multi-inning reliever and at times a stopper whenever Baltimore hits a brief skid. That was the scenario Thursday, but volatility from start to start is expected for a pitcher with a journey like Suárez’s.

The right-hander worked around a hit-by-pitch and a balk in the first inning to keep the Cubs scoreless until the third, when a two-out RBI double by Seiya Suzuki brought home Chicago’s first run.

Suárez added a scoreless fourth, but he imploded in his fifth and final inning. Four consecutive hits, including three extra-base knocks, put the Orioles down 4-0.

Suárez made 12 starts and seven relief appearances in the first half. That versatility has proven valuable for a team with the pitching injuries Baltimore has suffered this season, a problem it’s seemingly still struggling to solve. At times, the solution has been Suárez. But the right-hander, who’s allowed 11 earned runs over his past 22 innings, isn’t always enough.

“We always, no matter what, stay positive as a team,” Suárez said. “We’re a team that knows how to make adjustments.”

Cole Irvin, who was recently pushed to the bullpen, allowed a home run to the first batter he faced in the sixth and then let three more runs score in his second inning to make the Orioles’ deficit nearly impossible to erase.

The left-hander has surrendered 26 earned runs over his past 26 innings. After a resurgent start, Irvin’s ERA was 2.87 on June 7. It’s now 4.67.

It likely wouldn’t have mattered what Suárez or Irvin did Thursday; Chicago scored its winning run in the third inning. The Orioles, who have scored just two runs over their past 27 innings, are crawling to the All-Star break.

New York is the beneficiary.

“We didn’t have the offense, but tomorrow is another day,” said Anthony Santander, who was named an injury replacement for the All-Star Game before the loss. “The Yankees are coming.”