DETROIT — Brandon Hyde tried shaking things up. The result was the same.

After the Orioles lost Game 1 on Saturday, their skipper announced that left-handed reliever Keegan Akin would start Game 2 as the opener, pushing the slumping Charlie Morton — Baltimore’s scheduled starter — into a bulk role. The shuffle didn’t matter because the Orioles’ offense once again didn’t hit.

The Orioles lost, 6-2, to the Tigers and were swept in the doubleheader, tallying only six hits and just one with a runner in scoring position. It marked the sixth straight game in which Baltimore’s bats have brought home three or fewer runs.

“Today was a really, really tough day,” Hyde said.

The loss is the Orioles’ fifth in their past six games dating to the 24-2 loss on Easter Sunday.

Baltimore falls to 10-16 — its first time six games below .500 since July 2022 amid that team’s 10-game winning streak.

The Orioles are 6-for-51 with runners in scoring position and have left 47 men on base since Easter.

The lone offense Saturday came from a double by Gunnar Henderson in the third inning and a sacrifice fly by Ramón Laureano in the sixth. Henderson’s double off Tigers starter Keider Montero marked the first time the Orioles got out to an early lead since April 18.

“It’s been tough,” Hyde said. “We’re not scoring a ton of runs, we get a lead for a minute today and give it right back. It’s really hard to play behind in a doubleheader. … There are some guys swinging the bat OK. We’ve just got to get a few more things going offensively.”

After Akin pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings in his first start since May 2023, Morton entered and was shaky again. The 41-year-old allowed a three-run homer to Riley Greene in the third and walked five during his 3 2/3 innings.

Through six starts, Morton is 0-6 with a 10.36 ERA and 2.22 WHIP.

He’s only the second pitcher in Orioles history — and the 30th in MLB history — to begin a season losing each of his first six appearances.

“I didn’t feel like I was getting beat around the park,” Morton said. “I was just kind of beating myself.”

Morton said he had an idea Friday that the team could put an opener before him, but he wasn’t officially told until “right before the game.” Hyde did it to give his struggling starter “a different look.”

“I thought he looked a little bit better,” Hyde said of Morton. “I thought the curveball was better. … I thought he was a little bit more competitive in the strike zone even though he had those walks.”

Seranthony Domínguez and Grant Wolfram (making his MLB debut) combined to allow three runs in the seventh inning, harming any chance of a comeback that never ended up being mounted.

One month into the season, the Orioles have been one of baseball’s worst teams. Only two teams have fewer wins than Baltimore’s 10: the Chicago White Sox (7-20) and the Colorado Rockies (4-22).

The difference, however, is that sportsbooks projected the White Sox to win 53.5 games, the Rockies to win 58.5 and the Orioles to be a playoff team with 87.5 victories.

The Orioles have yet to publicly show signal the alarm bells, though. Hyde said he hasn’t seen his clubhouse culture change amid this ugly start.

“I don’t sense any panic, or nobody’s overly snapping or anything like that,” Hyde said. “Everyone’s getting along fine. We’re losing tough games right now and that can wear on you a little bit.”

Instant analysis: Where do the Orioles go from here with Morton?

His outing Saturday had its positives. He blew a 97.3 mph fastball by the first hitter he faced for a strikeout.

His pitches appeared to play better in the strike zone. He threw one of his best changeups of the season to get a strikeout.

But Morton is 41 years old. He’s pitched 18 MLB seasons.

The Orioles signed him for $15 million to be a reliable No. 3 starter.

This isn’t exactly the time for consolation prizes.

Morton looked better than he did during the 24-2 Easter implosion, but he was far from what the Orioles need him to be — and even farther from what he used to be. His curveball still wasn’t sharp, and his command remained an issue. Once again, Baltimore needed Morton to eat innings and instead he put the team (and bullpen) in a bind.

Where do the Orioles go from here with Morton?

“I haven’t even gotten there yet,” Hyde said. “Swallowing this tough day.”

By the numbers: In 2023, the Orioles were the best clutch-hitting team in baseball with a .287 average and .837 OPS with runners in scoring position. Last year, those fell to .251 (17th) and .741 (16th), respectively.

This year, the ability to bring home ducks on the pond has gotten even worse. The Orioles rank 25th out of 30 MLB teams with a .217 average and 23rd in OPS at .636 with runners in scoring position.

What they’re saying: Hyde on the Orioles’ troubles with runners in scoring position:

“I think it’s different in every single case. I think some guys are a little passive, some guys are trying to do too much. Some guys are staying on the ball, some guys are not. It’s a little bit of case-by-case basis, and I think if we get a little momentum — which we have not had at all this year — a little bit of momentum, where guys are doing good things, they’ll start feeling a little bit better about their at-bats.”

Up next: The stat that defined the 2023 Orioles was their American League record sweepless streak. They extended it into 2024 before it died at 106 straight regular season series. Despite their mediocre play since July, the Orioles have quietly built another sweepeless streak. It reached 30 series after their sweep-preventing win over the Washington Nationals on Thursday. To keep it alive, they’ll have to win Sunday against reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal.

More important than the streak, though, is simply winning a baseball game ahead of their three-game home series versus the New York Yankees. The Orioles are 1-5 since Sunday when they lost 24-2 for one of the worst losses in franchise history.

This could quickly become more than just a slow start.

Have a news tip? Contact Jacob Calvin Meyer at jameyer@baltsun.com, 410- 332-6200 and x.com/JCalvinMeyer.