Schoop taking advantage of his opportunity

A quick scan of the weather forecast today has the chance of showers ranging from 70 to 100 percent throughout the day. If there's a window, it better be shut. I can't imagine that the Orioles would play a doubleheader on Wednesday if tonight's game is postponed, since the Rays return to Baltimore in June and August, but we'll find out. Rookie Jonathan Schoop wasn't in last night's lineup. Ryan Flaherty got the start at third base for the Orioles and had a pair of RBI singles, along with a really nice play on a scorching ground ball in the first inning. But Schoop is getting valuable experience in the majors while Manny Machado is on the disabled list. Schoop has hit safely in six consecutive games, going 8-for-23 with four doubles, a home run and five RBIs. He's the silver lining in Machado's absence. "Without a doubt," said manager Buck Showalter. "It's good for him and it's good for us. Jonathan's going to be a good player up here. I think he has a chance to do some good things for us." You can see Schoop owning up to his mistakes and correcting them. He committed two errors in the same inning on throws to first and second base, stayed in the lineup the following night and executed both plays perfectly. "I like the fact that he's made some mistakes that he hasn't repeated," Showalter said. "He had a very similar play (Sunday) on a 5-4 feed when the second baseman is playing a left-handed hitter to pull, and you've got to give him a little extra time to get there and not feather the ball over there. Shuffle your feet a couple more times and give him the extra step, and then you can throw the ball firmly. "You don't need to be throwing changeups to the second baseman because that's how they get in harm's way. But he's made some good strides and I'm glad he's here." Will Schoop remain here after Machado is activated? Steve Lombardozzi isn't going anywhere, so it's between Schoop, Flaherty and Steve Pearce. Schoop and Flaherty have minor league options. Pearce does not. He'd have to be exposed to waivers. Wouldn't be the first time. Chris Davis walked in the first inning last night to extend his on-base streak to 12 consecutive games. Matt Wieters singled in the first to extend his streak to 12 games. Nick Markakis' hitting streak ended at eight games. Wei-Yin Chen improved to 3-3 with a 2.86 ERA in 10 career starts against the Rays, his lowest ERA versus any opponent in the American League East.