The Orioles have failed to make substantial gains in most of the ways that have contributed to two years of losing baseball in Baltimore. They continue to suffer from low IQ play, their defense has been awful, the situation hitting is poor, they swing and miss too much and there are some legit holes in the rotation and bullpen . But that’s The Mike Elias Way. One element that absolutely had to improve immensely if this team was going to be even pedestrian in 2026 (and they are) was the productivity from the catcher position. Former first-overall pick Adley Rutschman, eligible to hit the open market after the 2027 season, had to bounce back mentally and physically from two seasons in the abyss and rookie phenom Samuel Basallo had to be given a decent runway to also show what he can do. And what the switch-hitting Rutschman and left-handed slugging Basallo have teamed up to do has been as consistent and substantial as anyone could have hoped for.…