Kyle Goon: How can David Rubenstein be ‘very pleased’ when the Orioles are this disappointing?

Very, very happy. Couldn’t be more pleased.

While watching the Orioles’ Sunday series finale against the Atlanta Braves, these words from owner David Rubenstein were lolling around in my brain. Just days before, he had extolled the job performance of president of baseball operations Mike Elias and given a sunny outlook on Baltimore’s playoff hopes.

It begs the question: What team is Rubenstein watching?

While thoses comments Friday preceded the series loss to the NL East-leading Braves, the latest clash with an actual contender was a bright, blinking reminder why the Orioles have been so maddening to their fans this year.

The starting pitchers were fantastic, but the offense was muted at best. The bullpen, especially Rico Garcia and Andrew Kittredge, struggled to hold on to leads. Defensive lapses continued. As exciting as it was for Dylan Beavers to hit a walk-off single on Saturday night, you can’t talk about that shining moment without acknowledging the Orioles whiffed on bases-loaded walk-off opportunities in the two losses.

The most logical conclusion to draw from the last two series the Orioles have played — going 2-4 against Boston and Atlanta — is that they don’t measure up to playoff teams. So why are Elias and Rubenstein painting a rosy picture of that possibility, especially when the team’s honest internal assessment will be clear by MLB’s Aug. 3 trade deadline?

The setting had something to do with it. The two big shapers of Baltimore’s baseball destiny were naturally going to be upbeat when they spoke at a news conference for pitcher Kyle Bradish’s contract extension.

On the other hand, did Rubenstein have to say he was “very, very happy”? Did he really need to say “we couldn’t be more pleased”?

The last time the Orioles won a series against an opponent with a current winning record was a month ago in L.A. The majority of their momentum in the last month has been built on beating up clubs that aren’t going to be in the postseason themselves. Against the White Sox, Cubs, Red Sox and Braves, the Orioles have been exposed for the mediocre team they truly are.

I give the 76-year-old some credit for a wisely patient approach to the first two years of team ownership. Pro sports are littered with billionaire owners who have furiously tried to spend their way to a championship at the start of their tenures as if splurging at a bacchanal only to wind up with a serious hangover and no hardware to justify it.

When Rubenstein took the reins, Elias was at the peak of his powers — 2023’s MLB Executive of the Year who had navigated a painful rebuild to create a roster that won 101 games. It would have been impulsive to throw the Orioles’ architect overboard at that time in favor of his own handpicked lieutenant. Rubenstein also had the perspective that his own relatively limited understanding of the game paled in comparison to the staff he inherited.

Two and a half years later, though, it’s incredible to hear Rubenstein be effusive about Elias’ job performance since that 2023 peak.

Baltimore is clearly on the cusp of missing the playoffs for a second straight season. Given that Rubenstein and his ownership group have shelled out cash for extensions and to bring in $155 million slugger Pete Alonso, that must be a disappointing return on investment for the private equity baron.

I shared my own feelings weeks ago that, if the Orioles are sellers at the deadline, Elias should lose his job. There’s always the chance that Rubenstein will go back on his endorsement — much as Elias did in 2025 when he said he was “very confident in Brandon Hyde” two weeks before firing him. But the enthusiasm in Rubenstein’s voice made a reversal seem unlikely: “We’re really, really happy to have such a talented executive leading our baseball team.”

Elias should be really, really, happy he has a boss as forgiving as Rubenstein seems to be.

But should the Orioles continue on the trajectory they are on and have to start selling players — which, let’s face it, they probably should with their record and injuries — Rubenstein’s most important feedback will come from the fans. We’re just around season ticket renewal time, and between a second straight disappointing season and a possible impending lockout, spending on those packages might not be so appealing to a decent swath of Birdland members.

Although Rubenstein may feel it’s important to project confidence and optimism in an uncertain time, if he stands by an executive who can’t steer the Orioles out of their nosedive, he’s going to feel the heat — and he’ll deserve it. The fans want to win, and they want an owner who wants to win, too.

Even empty words matter if you say them out loud. And, if those words don’t reflect reality, they’re especially hard to forget.