ST. PETERSBURG -- Another day, another Orioles hurler making his club debut, as the club continues to turn over every stone in its search for pitching depth.

The Orioles' latest attempt in that area led them to Asher Wojciechowski, who pitched better than his line depicted but was outdueled by All-Star Charlie Morton in Tuesday’s 6-3 loss to the Rays at Tropicana Field. Making his first start since August 2017, Wojciechowski was done in more by some bad batted-ball luck and difficulties controlling the running game than by hard contact, eventually allowing four runs over 5 1/3 innings.

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“I loved his aggressiveness,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “I thought he showed a good fastball, a good, hard slider. I liked the way he pounded the zone and threw strikes. [He had] good presence on the mound, did a nice job keeping us in the game into the sixth inning.”

Brandon Lowe homered in the first and singled in the third to plate the Rays' first two runs before leaving after fouling a pitch off his right leg, and Avisail Garcia added a two-run single in the sixth to end Wojciechowski's night.

Morton was better, striking out six straight Orioles between the fifth and seventh innings on his way to 12 K's over seven frames. The All-Star’s only blemish? A Chris Davis solo homer in the third, his first since May 12.

“That’s why he’s an All-Star caliber pitcher, a World Series champion,” Hyde said of Morton.

After Wojciechowski left, Tampa Bay added two runs off Baltimore’s bullpen to break the game open, leaving it largely determined by the time Chance Sisco deposited a Chaz Roe fastball 441 feet, into the right-field stands. Sisco’s fifth homer of the year came on a night the Rays stole three bases in three tries, and the second-year backstop let a pivotal -- and catchable -- wild pitch skirt to the backstop in the sixth.

For Sisco, it underscored the defensive questions that have long come with his bat. He owns a 1.052 OPS in 16 games since returning to the Majors on June 5, over which the Orioles have publicly characterized his leadership and game-calling abilities as improved. Runners are 9-for-10 in stolen-base attempts against Sisco, though.

Asked how he feels he’s improved behind the plate, Sisco said, “Just working better with the pitching staff, [I'm] a lot more confident with them. I think they feed off of that, having a guy back there that is confident.”

Wojciechowski echoed that sentiment, citing comfortability in working with Sisco from their time together with Triple-A Norfolk last season. His return to the organization came a night after Tom Eshelman logged five solid innings in his MLB debut. Both pitchers will serve as options when the club continues searching for ways to backfill its rotation after the All-Star break.

“We’ve got 25 guys that are auditioning to be big leaguers,” Hyde said. “So everybody on the club is auditioning for their career.”

For Wojciechowski, the opportunity comes after the Orioles reacquired him for cash from the Indians on Monday, the day the opt out in his Minor League deal with Cleveland was set to trigger. He called the next 48 hours “pretty hectic.” Informed of the news in Louisville, Kentucky, Wojciechowski drove back to Columbus, Ohio, to pack his things before boarding a flight to St. Petersburg that night.

Wojciechowski toed the Tropicana Field rubber Tuesday evening for an organization he chose to leave a few months prior.

“It was kind of funny,” Wojciechowski said. “Last year, being in Norfolk, being with Baltimore, not getting a shot. And I took my opt-out. It’s just kind of crazy how things come full circle sometimes. This year, I’m pitching well in [Triple-A] Columbus, not planning on taking my opt-out, not knowing what’s going to happen. Then all of a sudden, I’m traded back and getting a chance this year.

“When the manager told me, I was like, ‘Are you joking?’ I was literally talking to my wife about it a week ago. I had an opt-out coming up, not knowing what I was going to do. We both were thinking, ‘What if Baltimore wanted you back?’ ‘Ah, that probably won’t happen.’ Sure enough, it did.”