O’s may prove less than they appear

Many of you Baltimore Orioles fans might find this letter off the wall and without merit. You might believe that the team’s record of 20 games above .500 as of June 25 is a reason to celebrate. But for some reason, I can’t. I’ll try to explain why (“Orioles lose 5th straight, 10-8 to Guardians, after ugly 4th inning: ‘We can’t freak out,'” June 25).

Perhaps my expectations are too high, but everybody has different expectations, which is fine. Two years ago, when the Orioles finally achieved more wins than losses, that season proved the most satisfying to me in a very long time. Why? You can see the fruits of past drafts finally coming to fruition, and losing was finally over for this beloved organization. But getting better is one thing, and staying there is another.

While we have had more than our share of injuries, so have many teams in this league who have lost more star players than we have. Mike Elias deserves a ton of credit for this resurrection, but there is just so much to go around when I see how this roster is constructed. Sure, any baseball fan loves to see home runs hit at the rate the Orioles have hit them, but that doesn’t cut it for me. Every hitter on this team swings way too hard and strikes out way too much, and the fundamentals of baseball have vanished on this team with this new approach.

The statistics are very misleading. Our on-base percentage is atrocious. We don’t advance base runners enough, and the general concept of small ball is forever forgotten. Take a look at this current roster. Elias drafted three guys with the top pick who are all left-handed, have the same general skill level and are stuck in a logjam with this current roster makeup.

Kyle Stowers, Heston Kjerstad, and Colton Cowser so far haven’t proven that they can permanently replace anybody, and that includes a slumping Austin Hays and Cedric Mullins. Elias acts like this club is on a strict budget, which shouldn’t be the case with new ownership. I know the trade deadline is still a month away, but I am betting that he will be reluctant to make a splash for a No. 2 pitcher and two relievers who are desperately needed on this team to be relevant in playoff time.

If everybody is now satisfied with winning 90 games a year, that is fine, but if you want to win another World Series, then drastic moves need to be made to this roster. We appear to have zero intentions of retaining Corbin Burnes after this rental season, which is another glaring blemish on Elias.

— Bob Lancione, Towson

Journalists must dig deeper into border security

In one of the recent articles in The Baltimore Sun on the suspect arrested for the murder of Rachel Morin, it stated that he entered the United States unlawfully four times in early 2023 in Texas and New Mexico (“Morin suspect’s border crossings make Harford County a political football in immigration debate,” June 22).

Wouldn’t it be helpful if you reported on that more deeply? The coverage by the media of the border situation shares as much blame as the politicians who have made a mess of it! We would appreciate in-depth articles on exactly how immigrants are treated trying to get into the country, including who is allowed and who isn’t, and for what reasons.

There is never an overall summary of what is happening. Our media is part of the problem.

— David Eberhardt, Baltimore

Let’s not be too tough on O’s

The Baltimore Sun has recently published several opinion pieces detailing what is wrong with the Baltimore Orioles. These were written by knowledgeable baseball aficionados and some very valid points were made. And the five-game slide was very hard to watch (“October success remains Orioles’ ultimate goal as memories of ALDS sweep return,” June 27).

It was noted that the O’s hit too hard and strike out too much. They also seem to leave too many men on base.

But this fan, who grew up in New York with plenty of quality baseball, didn’t start following the sport until the Orioles had their recent success. The low budget team is humble and really seems to enjoy playing together in Baltimore. And when any at-bat can produce a home run, there is an element of excitement I never associated with the game.

— Eric Greene, Annapolis