Buck talks up Schoop and about Beckham's award (game updates)

ANAHEIM, Calif. - During his pregame media session today, Orioles manager Buck Showalter spent some time talking up his middle infielders tonight - second baseman Jonathan Schoop and shortstop Tim Beckham.

He had praise for Beckham, the latest American League Player of the Week announced today. He wondered if more praise should be forthcoming for Schoop and if he will be in the hunt for some postseason awards.

Here is Buck on Beckham, who went 14-for-24 with three doubles, a triple and three homers along with six RBIs in his first six games with the team. He has an OPS of 1.767.

"He's deserving. We got to see it. How long has he been here? Six days. What did he do on the other day if it's a week? He was player of the week in only six days. He didn't need all week. You all can use that if you want," he said.

I think I just did.

Schoop entered tonight's game with 25 homers and 82 RBIs. That is exactly his totals from last year when both were career highs. Yet he needed 647 plate appearances to produce those totals last season and is at 455 through Sunday's games.

Schoop's RBI total is four more than New York's Aaron Judge. He ranks second in the AL in RBIs, two behind Seattle's Nelson Cruz.

"Have they started talking about Schoop for a postseason awards thing? He's got to be right there with all those guys right? Of course, I get to see it every day," Showalter said.

"If he has an August or September like he has had. You start seeing some of the names that he is ahead of ,or right there with, and the way he plays defense. Hard to find anybody in the American League having a better all around year than Jon Schoop."

As for the game: The Orioles and Angels are 0-0 through three innings. Los Angeles starter JC Ramirez buzzed through the O's on 25 pitches the first time through the order. He allowed a leadoff single to Chris Davis in the second, but then got Trey Mancini to hit into a double play. He threw seven pitches in the first, eighth in the second and 10 in the third.

Dylan Bundy has fanned five threw his three scoreless on 39 pitches. His fastball has some hop tonight. It touched 94.6 mph in the first and he threw 94 mph past Cameron Maybin to end the third.

O's get lead in fifth: Mike Trout led off the fourth with a double to left for his 1,000th career hit. He would later score on Kole Calhoun's sac fly for a 1-0 lead.

The Orioles took a 2-1 lead and used some solid baserunning to do it in the fifth. Beckham led off with a single, making him 15-for-26 with the team. He reached second on an error and stayed there when Seth Smith walked. Both runners moved up on a fly ball to right not hit that deep and both made good reads to advance. Then Joey Rickard's bloop single to center made it 1-1 and an Adam Jones deep fly ball made it a 2-1 lead.

Now it's even: The game became tied when Trout did more damage. His solo homer hit the left-field foul pole to tie it 2-2 in the sixth. It was his 23^rd on a 3-2 slider and his fourth on his birthday in the majors.

Manny for the lead: Manny Machado blasted a 423-foot grand slam in the seventh to give the Orioles a 6-2 lead. It was his 21st homer of the year and fifth career slam and first of this season. He has two homers and nine RBIs his last two games and has put the Orioles in position to win this road trip opener.