The Elias Houston-Baltimore connection and other notes

HOUSTON – Orioles executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias is with the team, at least to start, on this road trip. He's back in Houston, where he helped turn the Astros into big winners before he got hired by the Orioles.

He’s been very visible on the field the last two days pregame, catching up with old friends from here and he remains, of course, proud of his time here and what was built here, producing lasting success.

“There was just so much good work going on in the Astros organization for the last 10 years, and it’s still rolling with no end in sight. And I’m very proud and fortunate to have been a part of it,” he said during an interview Friday that was well attended by the Houston media.

Now’s he proud of what his staff and players are getting done in Baltimore, contending for a playoff spot a year after losing 110 games.

And he noted that even after the trades of Trey Mancini and Jorge López, the Orioles kept winning and have had a strong month in August.

“I credit the players and the coaches,” said Elias. “I can’t say it’s not something you don’t worry about when you make a couple of sell trades when you are winning at the deadline and in a wild card hunt. Part of the calculated risk you take when you make those trades is you see some depth in your organization and some guys that can take the repetitions and do well with them, and they have done that. I really credit this group of players. They have been fighting through a lot all year and they’re going to keep going.”

It's been said that Elias and his staff are trying to emulate in Baltimore what they were part of here in Houston. That may be true, and the Orioles may finally be seeing some of the long-range planning and player development paying off.

“Well, I think we’re not there yet,” Elias said. “This is an Astros franchise that has gone deep in the playoffs, won a championship, probably have a few more ahead of them. And we’re nowhere near those heights yet, but I expect the Orioles to be a playoff team, hopefully this year, and then in contention every year going forward.

“I think this is a team that is back in the fight and a team to be reckoned with in the AL East. And I think (there are) a lot of similarities in the rebuild (with Houston). The commitment to bringing young talent in the organization, doing things smartly and coaching them up.

“It takes fortitude getting through those lean years. But in both cases, the Astros in 2011 and 2012 and the Orioles in 2018 and 2019, there was no other way to go about doing what needed to be done to get these franchises back up and running. I think you see the fruits of it now here in Houston and that is long in the rear-view mirror for Astros fans. It was the best way to go.

“I feel this is a team that now, going forward, starting with this offseason, we’re going to be in mode of trying to put together a playoff team every single year.”

About that remarkable pitching: For the Orioles' latest tricks to show that they are the most surprising team in the majors this year, they've beaten Houston 2-0 and 3-1 this weekend. They have limited one of the best hitting teams in the majors to one run on eight hits and one extra-base hit, a double. Their pitchers recorded nine three-up-and-three-down innings this series.

Starting pitchers Kyle Bradish and Dean Kremer allowed one run and six hits over 15 2/3 innings.

"So impressed," said manager Brandon Hyde. "Two deep starts from two guys that haven’t been in the big leagues very long and are showing so much improvement. That is the biggest thing for me: the improvement these guys are showing. The confidence, the trust in their stuff. You're watching a couple of young guys really learn at the big league level in a tight race and important games. So fun.”

O's pitchers have tied a season high with four straight quality starts, with an ERA of 1.26 those games. The starters have allowed two earned runs or fewer in six consecutive games, posting a 1.59 ERA. And they have a 2.25 ERA and six quality starts the past 11 games.

It's been a pretty amazing weekend for the Orioles in Houston, and they are now 1.5 games out of a wild card spot. They can sweep the Astros today but will be facing right-hander Justin Verlander (16-3, 1.87 ERA) in the finale this afternoon.