For Ryan Mountcastle, how far away April feels these days. June is more his vibe. He’ll be sad to see the month end, and that’s good news for the Orioles’ rebuild.

The rookie slugger put what could be close to the finishing touches on a stellar month Monday night, teaming up with Cedric Mullins and Austin Hays to power Baltimore’s 9-7 win over the Astros at Minute Maid Park. Mountcastle singled home the Orioles’ first run in the third and put them ahead with a two-run homer in the fifth off Zack Greinke, before Hays connected for a two-run go-ahead shot off reliever Brandon Bielak in the ninth.

“I’m happy we won, but I wish we wouldn’t have made it so interesting in the end,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “We got fortunate tonight.” 

The victory was just the second in 24 road games for the O’s, who are searching for bright spots amid continued struggles and near constant roster turnover. Emergences from young players like Mountcastle, Hays and Mullins are exactly the kind of thing they hoped this season would bring, and those kinds of things are happening.

Monday was a prime example: Mullins padded his All-Star candidacy with three hits, two runs and two stolen bases. Hays homered and robbed Astros right fielder Kyle Tucker of a homer, and Mountcastle reached base four times, driving in three. They combined to overcome the season-high 10 walks allowed by the pitching staff, which watched a two-run lead fizzle in the seventh behind four free passes and barely hung on in the ninth.

At 4 hours and 19 minutes, the affair marked the fourth-longest nine-inning game in Orioles history. It was also the first time the Orioles issued at least 10 walks in a nine-inning game and won in 13 years -- since June 20, 2008 -- against Milwaukee.

“That’s not the recipe to win against the Houston Astros, or any other Major League team,” Hyde said.

It was, though, business as usual for Mullins, a welcome sight for the not-100-percent healthy Hays and most notable for Mountcastle, who is simply sizzling since the calendar turned to summer. Mountcastle is hitting .341 with eight home runs and 21 RBIs in 24 games this month, leading American League rookies in hits, homers, RBI, extra base hits and total bases in June.

“Amazing game for Cedric,” Hyde said. “We talk about it every day, and rightfully so. This guy is playing a great brand of baseball right now. He’s so exciting, making things happen. And Ryan is taking really good at-bats. His strike-zone awareness is getting better every single day.”

That’s the area of emphasis the Orioles long stressed for Mountcastle, even after the former first-round pick burst onto the scene with a dynamic 35-game cameo down the stretch last season. At that point, he was the Orioles’ best offensive prospect to reach the Majors since Trey Mancini a half-decade prior, and seen as one of several similar talents -- Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson -- on the horizon. Then came the sophomore slump, with Mountcastle dragging a sub-.200 batting average into May then slashing .226/.255/.373 through the season’s first two months.

The past month? A completely different story. All told, Mountcastle is hitting .269 with 14 homers, 45 RBIs and a .787 OPS, rating as an above-average offensive player in the aggregate. Where his budding Rookie of the Year candidacy lacks is in overall Wins Above Replacement, where his value is dragged down by subpar defense at first base and left field, where he remains a project.

But he was always projected to be a bat-first player, and despite his slumps, the upside is plain to see. So too, is evidence that he is improving. The O’s farthest home run and hardest-hit ball of 2021 both belong to Mountcastle, who has now reached base in 13 of his last 22 plate appearances. Most encouraging is his plate discipline -- a notorious free-swinger in the Minors, Mountcastle posted a 7:61 walks to strikeouts ratio in April and May. It is 8:22 in June -- three times better, and more in line with his 2020 output (11:30).

“I’ve known he’s always had it,” starter Thomas Eshelman said. “For him to have it up on this stage is remarkable. It goes to what he does each and every day to prepare for the game, and to show it on the field is great because of how hard he works.”