BALTIMORE — Right-hander Sean Burke is starting to find a groove. He consistently hit higher than his average velocity of 94 mph and tied his season high in strikeouts Friday.
He has struck out six batters in back-to-back outings, but the White Sox’ offense couldn’t muster enough support, leaving Burke with a loss as the Sox dropped the opener of a three-game series against the Orioles 2-1 at Camden Yards.
“I’ve been trying to work really hard between starts on some mechanical stuff and just getting everything in sync again,’’ Burke said.
‘‘Today was probably the best I felt in terms of how the stuff felt and the smoothness of the delivery and down and out. Everything felt pretty good.’’
Burke, 25, entered the game in the middle of the second inning after lefty Jared Shuster’s brief start, which manager Will Venable opted for against an Orioles lineup heavy with left-handed hitters. Burke threw six innings and allowed two runs and five hits.
His fastball topped out at 97 mph, a couple of them resulting in strikeouts of Orioles left fielder Heston Kjerstad.
“[He] did a really good job,” Venable said. “I thought the fastball command was really good. Some really good changeups. Got ahead with a couple of curveballs. Did a really nice job mixing it up and threw strikes.”
Burke (3-6) was able to limit the damage when his outing slightly unraveled in the sixth inning after he allowed a leadoff single and a double, putting runners on second and third with no outs.
He got a ground ball with the bases loaded, and second baseman Lenyn Sosa cut down the runner at the plate. A sacrifice fly gave the Orioles a 1-0 lead.
With runners at the corners, the Orioles called for a double steal, baiting catcher Edgar Quero to throw to second and allowing Ryan Mountcastle to score.
It was the second time this year that Burke pitched after an opener.
He threw 5⅓ innings and gave up three earned runs that first time against the Athletics.
Burke said he has turned to assistant pitching coach Matt Wise and some of the relievers for advice on getting loose out of the bullpen.
“Having a little bit of experience doing it now makes it a little bit easier,” Burke said. “Today’s situation was a little bit different than the last time; [I] came in in the middle of the inning.”
He also has noticed some improvements in his outings.
Last week, he nearly matched this outing with another six innings and six strikeouts at home against the Rangers.
“It kind of lets me know that I’m doing the right work and I have to continue on that routine I’ve been on,” Burke said of his progress.
The Sox fell short despite doubles from Mike Tauchman and Andrew Benintendi in the ninth inning against Orioles closer Felix Bautista.
“We definitely look back on games and note all the good things that happen,” Venable said.
“A lot of good things. At the same time, there are things that we have to execute better. We want to learn from those and make sure we get them right.”