ARLINGTON -- Rookie David Hess has been given yet another chance to pitch in the Orioles' rotation, but he can't seem to recreate his early-season success as Baltimore continues to evaluate whether he could be a part of its future.
Hess made his first start in more than a month on Friday against the Rangers, and back-to-back home runs forced an early exit for him in an 11-3 loss at Globe Life Park. Joey Gallo and Robinson Chirinos hit consecutive homers in the fourth inning off Hess, who was replaced by Donnie Hart with one out in the frame. Hess allowed a season-high seven runs (five earned) on five hits.
"Up here, you're going to have some challenging innings, and you've got to figure out a way to stop the bleeding and keep it to a minimum," O's manager Buck Showalter said. "That's been the challenge for him lately."
The home run continues to be a problem for the 25-year-old righty, who's allowed at least one in nine of his 12 Major League appearances this season.
A promising start to his big league career had the Orioles optimistic about Hess' future with the club. He held a 3.07 ERA through his first five starts, but after going 0-3 with an 8.37 ERA in June, Hess found himself back in Triple-A Norfolk shortly after the month ended.
With the recent trade of Kevin Gausman to the Braves, there is an opportunity for Hess to once again earn a rotation spot, but Friday's outing didn't help his cause. The 3 1/3 innings marked his shortest start since June 12 against the Red Sox.
"They're starting to make adjustments," Hess said of opposing batters. "You have to pay close attention to what they're doing, and how they're approaching me. We'll work it out a little bit, make some adjustments and find a way to make it work."
Hess has now allowed five or more runs in each of his past five starts, but Showalter said he will continue to be patient with Hess and give him an opportunity to grow from his recent struggles.
"Situation we're in, we're going to give enough people an opportunity," Showalter said. "They show us the good, and then they show us the not-so-good, and let them work through that. It's not always going to be a better road for them.
"They've got to learn from their mistakes and give them a chance to not repeat them and learn from them. David's got a taste of the good and a taste of the bad. We'll be interested to see how he responds."
Jonathan Villar and Timothy Beckham hit RBI singles in the fifth inning, but that's all Baltimore would get against Rangers starter Ariel Jurado. Chris Davis added an RBI double in the sixth off Alex Claudio.

The O's have now dropped 12 of their last 13 road games.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Baltimore has received just five innings from its starters through the first two games of the series against the Rangers, which has taxed the bullpen, but Evan Phillips and Cody Carroll combined to throw three scoreless innings on Friday.
Phillips, making his Orioles debut, struck out three over two innings.

"He was as good as advertised," Showalter said. "Late life on the fastball, threw a good changeup tonight. That was impressive."
Carroll pitched a 1-2-3 seventh inning in his second appearance since being acquired from the Yankees on July 25.
YOU GOTTA SEE THIS
In the bottom of the third with a runner on second for the Rangers, Beckham made a terrific catch on a liner hit by Elvis Andrus to end the inning and keep the Orioles within reach.

HE SAID IT
"There's something to play for. There's a lot of younger players that are auditioning for next year, and even some of us older players, we're auditioning for next year. Each game truly matters. Opportunities are really thin in the big leagues, and it's really important for each and every guy to come out there and do their best. If I'm a pitcher, I'm scratching and clawing to get out there and try to throw up zeros. There's openings all over the place on this staff, and you've got to seize the moment and take advantage of the opportunities at hand." -- Caleb Joseph, on the remainder of the season
UP NEXT
Dylan Bundy (7-9, 4.53 ERA) will make his 21st start at 8:05 p.m. ET on Saturday at Globe Life Park. Bundy is 1-1 with a 7.31 ERA in his past three starts, and he's 3-4 with a 4.44 ERA in nine starts on the road. Lefty Mike Minor (7-6, 4.73) will pitch for the Rangers.