ANAHEIM, Calif. — Watching the Orioles romp on Sunday, a simple question jolted to mind.

Where have these guys been?

On one hand, it was validating to see an aggressive, opportunistic Orioles offense that eventually found seams against Angels lefty Tyler Anderson and cracked the Anaheim bullpen on the way to a cruise-control victory. It was like going back in time to the machine-like seasons of 2023 and early 2024, when Baltimore cranked out runs with clockwork efficiency.

And yet the chief indictment of this season is that we’ve seen so little of that side of the Orioles.

Although injuries play a part, so has a meek approach at the plate that has left much to be desired. It’s the lack of fight that has frustrated the team and the fans as much as any other factor.

So why have games like Sunday’s 7-3 win felt so rare? Why was there a week of underwhelming games leading up to it, with Baltimore losing six of seven?

That’s something everyone in the clubhouse has to answer for, particularly the coaching staff.

Manager Brandon Hyde stressed Saturday afternoon that general manager Mike Elias has been patient and supportive through the club’s early struggles, comments consistent with Elias’ own tone. Yes, the injuries have been extreme, and I’ve been a staunch advocate that the front office needs to seek aggressive personnel moves that would give Baltimore a better shot at recovery — moves that so far haven’t happened.

But tough circumstances are one thing. Another key component is how you face them. Too often in the face of adversity, the Orioles have wilted — a problem that reflects poorly on this team’s character.

Within this organization, there shouldn’t be much patience for that.

On Sunday, the Orioles were refreshingly resilient. After ceding a 2-1 lead in the first inning, they clawed back in the game’s middle. Of all people, backup catcher Maverick Handley tied things up with a sacrifice fly. After the Angels walked Tyler O’Neill for a shot at Ryan Mountcastle — “That was a first,” he dryly remarked later — the first baseman turned around a fastball for an RBI single and a go-ahead run.

The next inning was just as methodical, with two walks leading to a Cedric Mullins single, then Handley again sacrificing on a bunt. A Gunnar Henderson homer, bringing the lead to five runs, felt like the knockout blow.

But so often this season the Orioles have seen themselves on the other side of the equation — struggling to summon a response to a lead. The poor quality and depth of starting pitching don’t explain every shortcoming. The Orioles are 13-3 when they score four or more runs, and it’s damning that they’ve failed to reach that threshold in more than half of their games given that many of the mainstays of the past two seasons are available.

Adley Rutschman has again started coolly, Mullins has trailed off and Henderson hasn’t reached his All-Star heights yet. Baltimore’s roster isn’t complete, but it has enough to be more competitive than it has been. When asked what he saw from his offense Saturday night in a 5-2 stinker, even Hyde had to admit sourly: “Not that much.”

How can a team be so lifeless on Saturday and so energetic on Sunday? How can a team that wins a series with the Yankees get swept by the Twins? Given the track record of the previous two seasons, it should be easier than this for Baltimore to figure it out. Injuries alone don’t account for falling nine games under .500 in early May.

Internally, there is frustration that so many hitters have underachieved. Hitting coach Cody Asche said the struggles from the end of the 2024 season and the start of this one aren’t the same, but the results have felt similar. He said players are listening to their coaches, but there’s a day-to-day variance in physical and mental approach that seems to defy the staff’s attempts at instruction and correction.

“We need to get on base more,” he said. “We’re getting into three-ball counts. We’re giving walks away. We’re getting deep into counts, and we’re not putting competitive balls in play. We’re not stringing together those types of at-bats as much as we need to. Ultimately, that’s my responsibility to make sure that we do. So, yeah, it pains me. It keeps me up at night.”

The players are not without blame, and Asche suggested that as much as 90% of useful advice and wisdom passes from other players instead of coaches. Ultimately, they’re the ones who need to internalize the review and become more consistent and feisty at the plate than they’ve been.

But coaches can’t get off scot-free either, especially because Asche acknowledged Sunday that the Orioles hitting coaches “go about our day pretty similarly” to last season. In spite of a significant coaching purge that was meant to spark change, Baltimore preaches similar lessons and concepts, only with different voices.

If that’s the case, what was the point of firing so many staffers during the offseason?

Whether Hyde acknowledges it or not, he has to be feeling heat. The Pirates and the Rockies — admittedly franchises who haven’t had the recent success the Orioles have — fired their managers this week, so blood is in the water. Not all of the struggles can be held against Hyde, but a lackadaisical approach in too many games definitely doesn’t reflect well on him. If it keeps up, the blame falls on everyone, but it’s much easier for the Orioles to change coaches than players when it comes time to take accountability.

A series win in Anaheim is a step in the right direction, but the Orioles need to tap into that part of themselves — the group we’ve seen in the 2023 and 2024 seasons — much more often than they have.

Until that happens, no one should feel safe.