BALTIMORE — The Orioles acquired Corbin Burnes this offseason to elevate their rotation.

Baltimore’s magical 2023 season came crashing down in the playoffs against the Texas Rangers largely because of its rotation’s struggles, and general manager Mike Elias fortified his starting pitching corps by trading for the bona fide ace.

Burnes proved his value again Thursday with a splendid start in the Orioles’ first game against the Rangers since they ended Baltimore’s season.

Albert Suárez was even better Friday.

Suárez bounced back from his recent struggles to look more like the feel-good story he was for much of the first half, tossing six scoreless innings to lead the Orioles to a 2-1 win over the Rangers at Camden Yards. Baltimore’s bullpen was shaky and its bats were mostly quiet, but both did just enough for the club’s third straight win.

Suárez, the definition of a baseball journeyman, emerged earlier this season, seemingly out of nowhere, as a key part of the Orioles’ pitching staff. Two weeks ago, he sported a sparkling 1.61 ERA between the rotation and bullpen, helping fill key holes in both, especially the former which lost three members to season-ending elbow surgery.

But the 34-year-old right-hander struggled mightily in his next two starts, allowing 16 hits and eight runs in 8 2/3 innings. It seemed the pixie dust surrounding Suárez had disappeared, and with Dean Kremer potentially returning to the rotation from the injured list next week, Suárez appeared destined for the bullpen.

Instead, on Friday, Suárez made his case to remain a starter, surrendering only three hits and not walking a batter — he issued eight free passes across his previous two outings — in six scoreless innings against Rangers, who have lost five in a row. He filled the zone with his mix of four-seam fastballs, change-ups and cutters, allowing his defense to do the work — and that it did.

Texas (37-45) laced nine batted balls faster than 95 mph, including four that were caught by Orioles outfielders on the warning track. Three would’ve left the yard in other MLB ballparks, including two to left field that would’ve been gone at Camden Yards before the left field wall was drastically moved back.

But that good fortune is what often happens to pitchers who fill up the zone, and that’s how Suárez was able to go a season-high six innings. In fact, it’s the first time he’s completed six frames in a major league game in 2,918 days. The last time was July 3, 2016, in his rookie season with the San Francisco Giants before he bounced around between professional leagues in Japan, Korea and Mexico and then serendipitously landed with Baltimore.

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