BALTIMORE -- Despite the White Sox 4-3 loss to the Orioles in Wednesday night’s rubber game, Chicago’s bullpen leaves Baltimore having acquitted itself impressively.

The White Sox are going to need help from their starters soon, though.

Ervin Santana’s four runs allowed over 4 2/3 innings completed a three-game set in which none of the White Sox starters completed five innings.

While Manny Banuelos’ four shutout innings in spot duty Monday were all manager Rick Renteria could expect, Ivan Nova’s nine-run, four-inning outing Tuesday followed by another tough day from Santana ensured the Orioles won their first home series of the season.

And while Santana felt his performance represented modest improvement from his first two starts, it came with the understanding that more improvement needs to come.

“We’re getting there,” he said. “The next start will be better.”

Renteria’s bullpen kept the Orioles in check to complete a series in which it allowed two runs over 12 1/3 innings of work. And the offense rallied to get the tying run on third before Yoan Moncada grounded out sharply to end it.

But a relief unit that lowered its ERA to 4.50 -- compared to a 6.18 mark by White Sox starters -- has had the benefit of a scattering of planned April off-days and one rainout in Detroit. It’s a luxury that ends Friday when Chicago opens a three-game set at home against the Tigers and begins a stretch of 37 scheduled games in 38 days.

“It would help us a lot, absolutely, to get to the point where our guys are getting us some length and keeping us in games,” Renteria said prior to Wednesday’s rubber game. “That’s the best case of all scenarios, obviously.”

There isn’t a single systemic issue, Renteria says, aside from lack of command. And Santana managed that better than he had over his previous two outings, walking no one for the first time while lowering his ERA slightly to 9.45.

“I know the first two innings were not how it was expected to be,” said Santana, who threw 48 of 71 pitches for strikes. “But after that, I felt more comfortable and I was more aggressive in the strike zone.”

Instead, it was more a matter of command on two-strike pitches.

Renato Nunez doubled on Santana’s 0-2 fastball to plate Baltimore’s first run, then scored when Rio Ruiz flared a 2-2 changeup into left-center, with both of those offerings catching too much of the plate too high in the zone.

Santana made a better pitch on a 3-2 slider that Hanser Alberto turned on for a second-inning sac fly. But it was Santana’s 2-2 slider that didn’t slide that Stevie Wilkerson hammered for his first career home run in the fourth.

After Santana allowed a two-out base hit in the fifth, Renteria summoned Jace Fry from the bullpen to face Dwight Smith Jr., and Fry struck him out.

“We were going to go ahead and try to keep it in check there,” Renteria said. “We definitely accomplished that.”

Baltimore’s own bullpen survived, allowing two runs across four innings after John Means allowed one over five.

Moncada thought he might’ve singled to tie it in the ninth. Instead, Richie Martin’s fine sliding stop saved the day for the home team.

“I made hard contact with the ball,” Moncada said through an interpreter. “I thought that it had a chance. But that’s just the way baseball is.”