Sharlon Schoop headed to Baltimore

The Orioles have summoned Triple-A Norfolk infielder Sharlon Schoop to Baltimore in case they need him on Tuesday.

I'm told that the Orioles aren't assured of purchasing Schoop's contract. He's going to be close in case they decide to make a roster move while third baseman Manny Machado serves the last two games of his four-game suspension.

Machado will miss the series against the Padres that begins Tuesday night at Camden Yards. The Orioles are off Thursday, and Machado will return to the 25-man roster for Friday's series opener against the Rays in Baltimore.

The Orioles must play a man down while Machado serves his suspension. They optioned left-hander T.J. McFarland on Sunday and kept infielders Ryan Flaherty and Paul Janish.

Janish is starting at third base tonight in the makeup game in Texas, where the Orioles trail 4-3 in the seventh inning.

Schoop, 29, is the older brother of Orioles second baseman Jonathan Schoop. He isn't on the 40-man roster, but they have a chance to fulfill the dream of playing on the same major league team.

Norfolk manager Ron Johnson called Schoop into his office earlir today and told him to pack for Baltimore, according to The Virginian-Pilot, which first reported the story.

"It was kind of a surprise to me, but I'm happy, man. I'm happy," Schoop, a 12th-year pro from Curacao, told the paper. "If they activate me up there, I would be really happy."

Schoop is batting .240/.284/.363 with six doubles, four home runs and 21 RBIs in 40 games. He's appeared in 19 games at second base, 17 at shortstop and four at third base, with only three errors in 175 total chances.

The Orioles re-signed Schoop to a minor league deal in January.

McFarland started tonight for Norfolk and allowed four runs and eight hits in five innings in a 5-4, 10-inning loss to Lehigh Valley. He gave up solo home runs to Darin Ruf and Darnell Sweeney in the second inning.

Kevin Gausman was charged with four runs and nine hits in five innings against the Rangers, with one walk and five strikeouts. He couldn't hold a 3-0 lead provided in the second inning.