BALTIMORE — The Orioles have 17 games remaining this season. If an unlikely postseason appearance is going to happen, this Labor Day victory might be the start of that push.

Baltimore is three games back of the third wild-card spot in the American League after Monday’s 6-4 win over the Cleveland Guardians, who hold that final playoff position. And the Orioles have two more opportunities to make up ground Tuesday and Wednesday and put their six-game losing streak behind them.

The Orioles are still longshots to be playing in October because of that hole they’ve dug for themselves. Baltimore entered Monday with a 2.8% chance to make the postseason, according to FanGraphs. That was as high as 25% one week ago, before the Orioles lost two games against the NL-worst Colorado Rockies to end a nine-game road trip, then dropped four in a row to Adley Rutschman’s Red Sox.

The Orioles’ offense, led by Coby Mayo’s two-homer afternoon, finally came alive Monday after scoring one run over the past three games combined. And Trevor Rogers dazzled, allowing one run over 7 1/3 innings with six strikeouts and no walks.

The left-hander allowed just one hit over his first five innings as he kept Cleveland scoreless, lowering his ERA to 4.15. The Guardians broke through in the sixth with a pair of singles, which set the table for Jo Adell’s double that scored the road team’s first run of the afternoon.

Rogers responded with a clean seventh, then came back out for the eighth. He faced two batters, allowing a leadoff infield single before collecting his final strikeout on his 104th pitch and exiting to a standing ovation from the more than 21,000 in attendance who witnessed Rogers’ longest start of the season and the Orioles’ first win in a week.

Samuel Basallo scored the game’s first run when he was hit in the elbow by an 80 mph changeup, then reached home on Dylan Beavers’ double in the second inning.

Mayo led off the next frame with a solo home run, which both extended his career-best hit streak to 11 games and gave him an MLB-leading 16 home runs against left-handed pitching.

That kickstarted a rally that was mostly because of Guardians starter Joey Cantillo’s inability to find the strike zone — he issued four walks and was removed before finishing the third inning. The last two came from Blaze Alexander and Pete Alonso with the bases loaded to give the Orioles their third and fourth runs.

And Mayo wasn’t done.

After Jackson Holliday singled with one out in the sixth, the third baseman launched his second home run to the left-field seats, this time against a right-handed pitcher, to extend Baltimore’s lead.

It was Mayo’s first multi-home run game of his career and gives him 21 long balls on the year, one behind Gunnar Henderson for second most on the team but in 28 fewer games than the shortstop.

Mayo has firmly inserted himself into the organization’s future plans in his third major league season after disappointing rookie and sophomore years cast doubt on his place in Baltimore long term. He’s bounced around the diamond as he still looks for a defensive home, but his bat — especially against left-handed pitching — has made it impossible to keep him out of the lineup when the platoon advantage calls for it.

Being just as dangerous versus righties, like he was Monday, is his next frontier and the only thing keeping him from being an everyday player.

Monday’s win still had some moments that resembled many other frustrating losses this season.

Holliday came to bat with the bases loaded in the second and third innings but grounded out and struck out to end both frames. The Orioles left 12 runners on base and went 1 for 11 with runners in scoring position. Andrew Kittredge imploded in the ninth inning and allowed a three-run homer. Josh Walker was needed to finish the game and became the record 11th Orioles pitcher this season to record a save, the first of his career.

If not for Mayo’s power surge and Rogers’ dominance, those failures would have been more costly. Yet, for the first time since Colton Cowser’s heroics in Colorado, the Orioles won.

That game-saving catch brought Baltimore to .500 and inspired hope that a breakthrough was close. Instead, the next six games sank those aspirations.

Monday’s win could be the start of something. But these Orioles rarely carry momentum over to the next day.

Around the horn

— There’s no imminent return planned yet for Félix Bautista, manager Craig Albernaz said. The right-hander remains on his rehabilitation assignment for now. In five games for Double-A Chesapeake and Triple-A Norfolk, Bautista has given up four runs in four innings with five strikeouts as his velocity inches closer to where it was before elbow and shoulder surgeries.

— Tyler O’Neill’s shoulder isn’t responding the way the team hoped. The outfielder has been sidelined since Aug. 26 when he dove to catch a fly ball but landed awkwardly. “It’s a pretty significant injury,” Albernaz said.

— Closer Ryan Helsley will throw a live bullpen session Tuesday or Wednesday, Albernaz added. The right-hander hasn’t pitched since June 27 with right elbow inflammation.

— Luis Robert Jr. and Christian Franklin are rehabbing their respective ailments in Sarasota, Florida. Robert went on the injured list Sunday with hamstring discomfort just days after the Orioles claimed him off waivers, while Franklin has been out since Aug. 31 with a hand injury.

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