As the Orioles offense struggled to gain consistency in the first half of last season, second baseman Jonathan Schoop was one of the few hitters who carried the load, and the result was Schoop’s emergence as one of the American League’s top run producers.
This season has been different for both Schoop and the floundering Orioles. Rain permitting, the team opened a four-game series against the American League East-rival New York Yankees on Thursday night with the second-worst record in the major leagues while averaging 3.7 runs a game, last in the AL.