The Orioles owner issued his remarks on general manager Mike Elias' efforts amid the team's injury-plagued season.
Despite a three-game sweep over the Houston Astros to begin the second half of the season, the Baltimore Orioles were unable to carry over that momentum into their most recent series against the Boston Red Sox, dropping two out of three games.
Furthermore, injuries have been a theme for Baltimore's season in which they've gone 50-53 overall while ranking fourth in the AL East and sitting 9.5 games behind the first-place Tampa Bay Rays.
Among the Orioles' most recent losses were catchers Adley Rutschman and Samuel Basallo to the 10-day injured list. Basallo went down with right shoulder inflammation while Rutschman suffered inflammation in his left wrist.
Rutschman's injury was his third this season after battling left ankle inflammation and suffering a concussion on June 18 that kept him sidelined for the next 10 days.
Nonetheless, Baltimore owner David Rubenstein is standing by general manager Mike Elias.
"Absolutely. Of course. Mike, he was the Baseball Executive of the Year a few years ago, widely regarded as outstanding by his peers and other people in baseball," Rubenstein said, according to Orioles beat reporter Jake Rill. "Absolutely. And he’s done a terrific job. I’m very, very happy, and we couldn’t be more pleased."
He added: "We’ve had some injuries, but that’s not Mike’s fault. In the end, we’re very pleased, and we’re really, really happy to have such a talented executive leading our baseball team."
Elias joined Baltimore in 2018 after serving as assistant GM for Houston, who won their first-ever World Series title in 2017. Since then, Elias built up the Orioles' young core consisting of Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson, Jackson Holliday and Colton Cowser.
Rutschman and Henderson were drafted in 2019 during Elias' early years at the helm, rising into cornerstone contributors in the lineup. This season, Rutschman has batted .251 while recording 62 hits, 47 RBI and eight home runs. Meanwhile, Henderson is hitting .225 after logging 95 hits and 44 RBI. He is also second on the team in home runs, hitting 17 in comparison to veteran Pete Alonso's 21.
Blaze Alexander has been another bright spot under Elias. The 27-year-old third baseman came to Baltimore on Feb. 5 in a trade from the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for Kade Stroud, Wellington Aracena and José Mejía. This season, Alexander has been batting .312 while recording a .368 on-base percentage, 69 hits and 29 RBI.
Unfortunately though, he also would not be spared from the team's brutal injury luck. He landed on the 10-day injured list with a broken left hand he suffered via a hit by pitch from Kansas City Royals reliever Lucas Erceg. It is still to be determined if and when Alexander will make his return.
In the meantime, it appears that Elias' seat will not be getting any warmer as Baltimore heads into a three-game homestand kicking off tonight against the Atlanta Braves.
