The scoop on Schoop's improving bat and other O's notes

Orioles second baseman Jonathan Schoop didn't exactly tear it up at bat in the month of August. But it was the best month of his rookie season and perhaps showed that he is starting to improve as a big league hitter.

We saw further examples the last two nights when he hit nearly 900 feet worth of homers at Camden Yards against Cincinnati.

In 24 games during August, Schoop hit .241 with seven doubles, four homers and 11 RBIs. His .481 slugging percentage and OPS of .749 were easily his best for any month.

He crushed a homer into the Reds bullpen again last night. ESPN estimated his blast at 446 feet, which is the longest at Camden Yards this season.

Over his last 20 games, Schoop has 12 extra-base hits and is batting .269 with seven doubles, five homers and 14 RBIs.

Schoop is finally showing signs of a bat coming to life. But manager Buck Showalter said he can't pinpoint an exact reason for Schoop's improvement.

"It is just the process," Showalter said. "Sometimes guys like Jonathan, 10 years from now he is hitting .220 every year and hitting 12 or 13 home runs and playing good second base. That might be good enough. He'll be able to pay the bills if he does that.

"Jon is a tough one for me to figure out what he is going to be, so I quit trying to figure it out. Your curiosity with him is going to get satisfied. He has a good peer group around him that won't let him be anything but the best he can be. I'm excited to see where it will end. He is a strong young man."

Schoop continues to be a free swinger and has just 11 walks all year and had just three in August. Will that element of his game - the plate-discipline skills - improve as he moves forward?

"We are all trying to make someone a perfect player and they don't exist," Showalter said. "It is Captain Obvious to say, 'Jon, you shouldn't swing at some of those pitches.' It is so easy to sit in an ivory tower and say that. It is not sympathy, but empathy for how it is hard to do what they do.

"I was telling Brian Graham on the bench last night (Tuesday), saying how many guys in the minor leagues do we have that make the sound as when Jonathan squares the ball up?

"Certain guys have that sound. I said, 'Kind of like that sound,' as the ball was leaving the park. You can hear it with (Steve) Pearce when he squares the ball up. It is not in a sabermetric form, but it usually corresponds to when a guy has bat speed."

Schoop's slugging percentage has improved from .324 before the All-Star game to .488 in the second half and his OPS has gone from .582 to .736.

Schoop hit six homers in 272 at-bats in the first half and has hit eight in 121 at-bats since the All-Star break.

Schoop said it really comes down to those plate discipline skills in a sense.

"I think getting a good pitch to hit. Let him throw my pitch and when they do try not to miss it. Also trying to lay off tough pitches. Swing at strikes and good things will happen," he said.

What is the scoop on Schoop? This kid is getting better at the plate and now it's starting to show up on the stat sheet.

More notes on the O's:

* After his four-hit shutout last night, Miguel Gonzalez has allowed just one run and eight hits over 16 innings his last two starts. He has an ERA of 1.27 his last four starts. He is 4-2 with an ERA of 2.00 his past nine starts.

* O's starters have pitched 15 scoreless innings allowing eight hits in the series against the Reds.

* The Orioles are 12-1 when Schoop homers. He has now homered in consecutive games for the second time in his career, he also did that Aug. 11 and 13. He has hit 12 of his 14 career homers against right-handed pitching.

* The Orioles will finish with a winning record in interleague play. They are 11-8 after last night, including a 7-2 mark at home. The O's have finished above .500 against the National League in three straight and five of the last seven seasons.

* The Orioles are 21-0 when they hit three or more homers. They have hit nine homers their last four games, 30 in 17 games and 51 in the last 28 games. They lead the majors with 182.

* The Orioles will announce their Player of the Year and Pitcher of the Year for their minor leagues today. Christian Walker and Tyler Wilson are the favorites to take those honors. They will be introduced to the fans at the Yard tonight, as will Chance Sisco, who will be honored for winning the South Atlantic League batting title.