I’m probably fooling myself to think that Mike Elias could give a hoot about my opinion or, for that matter, even knows that I still show up at the ballpark once in a while to see if the lights are still on. But I’m going to deliver a piece of advice, and I only need a couple of words to do it.

Don’t blink!

The Orioles will enter the non-mathematical second half of this season five games under .500 and have given only scant indication that they might suddenly rise up from the unusually large scrap heap that lies just below the final spot in the American League wild-card race. So, Elias might soon be tempted to back away from his stated desire to be a buyer as the August 3rd trade deadline nears.

That wouldn’t exactly defy logic with the Orioles set to lose control of some nice players this winter, but there is still time to save this season – and maybe his job – if he keeps his eyes on the prize and can fill a few holes in his underperforming roster.

Obviously, the next week could tell us a lot about where this all ends up, because the O’s finally teased us in their final game before the All-Star break by delivering a fourth straight win after falling short of that the first seven times they won three in a row.

Is that meaningful? Only if they can continue to move in an upward direction after swimming below the surface for the past three months. They are only a couple of games behind the 48-49 Mariners, who currently hold the third extra playoff spot, but it would be nice if the Orioles make some kind of statement by continuing to narrow the sub-.500 gap with a strong upcoming road swing against two teams – the Astros and Red Sox – that are in pretty much the same situation that they are.

That might seal the deal for Elias, who has to know that the fan base isn’t going to be pleased with the prospect of another rebuild, even if it’s done on a lesser scale that leaves the club in a position to buy its way back into  playoff contention after this winter’s labor showdown.

He can get there from here if he can shore up the bullpen and add another run-producing right-handed hitter, though a lot will still depend on getting more out of a frustratingly inconsistent offensive attack.

It almost seems like an everyday occurrence that Oriole hitters are hard-pressed to get more than two or three hits over the first five innings. Gunnar Henderson, in particular, seems to be experiencing a crisis of confidence that has him swinging at a lot of pitches he shouldn’t and not swinging at the ones he should, while the other young bats are clearly still in development.

There certainly is room for just about every one of them to improve and they’ll have to if they want to sniff the postseason.

There may be a few things that Elias can do, but there’s a lot he can do nothing about. He can’t fix the infield defense, which has been sketchy despite a heroic performance by first baseman Pete Alonso scooping wild throws to save outs and keep MASN broadcaster Rob Long alive in the first base camera well. And there’s really nothing that can be done to change the club’s bad medical karma.

I know every team has to fight through injuries, but the O’s have been all but cursed the past 2 ½ seasons, their starting rotation decimated early in 2024 and ’25 and now they have gone through a second front-line bullpen closer with free-agent acquisition Ryan Helsley back on the injured list for an extended period.

The Orioles could not even enjoy their first four-game winning streak without losing another key player until at least September. Blaze Alexander, who was in the midst of a wonderful breakout season, suffered a fractured left hand late in Sunday’s game, leaving Elias with another hole to patch and another reason to consider giving up on 2026, but he would be wise to take my advice just this once.

Don’t blink!