ARLINGTON -- Orioles right-hander Dylan Bundy appears to be heading into the right direction after going through a rough stretch in July, but home runs continue to hurt him.
Bundy allowed a two-run shot to Joey Gallo in the fourth inning, and it proved to be the difference in Baltimore's 3-1 loss to the Rangers on Saturday night at Globe Life Park.
Bundy has allowed 27 home runs this year, most in the Majors. He said he tried to ride a fastball inside to Gallo.
"Trying to go fastball up-and-in, and it was fastball middle-middle," Bundy said. "Ran back over the plate, and he was able to get the barrel on it."
Still, the 25-year-old has bounced back after struggling since returning from the disabled list on July 6. Bundy was 0-2 with a 10.95 ERA in his first three July starts, but he's now made two consecutive quality starts, and he also struck out six over six innings against Texas.
O's manager Buck Showalter said he was pleased with Bundy's outing.
"It was another start that our starting pitcher deserved to win the game," Showalter said. "Had a lot of those, that's why I've been saying that the loss column for a starting pitcher is very deceiving, especially in a year like this. Dylan was really good; he was solid. A lot better command. It was good."
Although he was frustrated with the end result, Bundy said he feels like he's starting to turn a corner. He allowed just the home run after allowing three in his past two starts.
"I got the loss. I'm not happy about it at all," he said. "But it was a little bit better. Only ended up with one ball over the plate instead of three the past two outings. I was trying to execute pitches one pitch at a time.
"Just fastball command. I think that's where it always starts, and in my bullpen, that's what I've been really working on, fastballs down and away. Gotta continue to work on those things."
Offensively, Baltimore wasn't able to solve left-hander Mike Minor, who allowed just four hits. Mark Trumbo recorded the 1,000th hit of his career on an RBI single in the seventh, but that's all Baltimore would muster.

"That's pretty cool. I actually like this one a little bit more than some of the other things I've done," Trumbo said of his milestone. "Unfortunate that it didn't contribute to a win tonight, but that's pretty special to me."
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MOMENT THAT MATTERED
A throwing error by third baseman Renato Nunez put a man in scoring position for Gallo in the fourth inning. Adrian Beltre reached first base and advanced to second on the error, and Gallo followed with his 29th home run of the season.

"Just a routine play that he threw away," Showalter said. "Sometimes you can have too much time, I guess. ...We've got some young players that are trying to grow a little bit."
SOUND SMART
Trumbo's single in the seventh inning off Minor was the 1,000th hit of his career. His first career hit also came against the Rangers on the road, on Oct. 3, 2010.
HE SAID IT
"Reminder of how consistent Mark's been through his career: 1,000 hits kind of reminds you. He's a consistent human being, and he's a consistent player. I thought that was a nice moment, and a big milestone." -- Showalter
UP NEXT
Rookie right-hander Yefry Ramirez will pitch in the series finale at 3:05 p.m. ET on Sunday at Globe Life Park. Ramirez is 1-3 with a 5.25 ERA in his past five starts, and he's 0-2 with a 6.30 ERA in two road starts this season. Right-hander Andrew Hutchison will start for Texas.