BALTIMORE -- The Orioles snapped their longest losing streak since 2011 with a 3-2 victory over the Yankees on Monday afternoon, with Jonathan Schoop's bat proving to be exactly what the team needed to get the job done.
With the game tied at 1-1 and two outs in the bottom of the third, Schoop stepped up to the plate against Jordan Montgomery with runners on first and second. He watched the first-pitch changeup bounce in the dirt for a ball and fought off a curveball to even the count. Schoop took the next pitch, a 91-mph fastball thrown over the outer third of the plate, down the right-field line to clear the bases and give the Orioles a 3-1 lead.
"I'm always ready for the fastball," Schoop said. "The fastball is the thing I hit. And if they throw a mistake, I would put a good swing on it."
"I like the fact, he's had some challenges against left-handed pitchers in his career, you could tell he had an approach there he was going to hit him the other way," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said.
Schoop's double was his 14th of the season and third to the right side of the field. The ball had an exit velocity of 92.6 mph, while his average exit velocity for the season is 87.7 mph, according to Statcast™.
During a stretch in which the majority of the Orioles' bats have gone silent, Schoop has been the consistent anchor the lineup has needed.
Entering Monday's game, the Orioles' team batting average was .202 in its last seven games. Of the players who had at least 15 at-bats during that span, Schoop ranked second on the team in batting average (.333) and led the team with four RBIs. He also leads the team in home runs (two) and hits (eight) in the last eight games.
"I'm just trying to be better," Schoop said. "I'm trying to be better like get more work in and doing as much as I can. I have a lot to work on. I still have a lot more to learn and I'm down to learn, to get better every day. And hopefully tomorrow it will be better."

Not only did Schoop come up big for the Orioles with the two-run double, the second baseman also made several defensive plays to shut down the Yankees' offense. In the sixth inning, with a runner on first, Schoop charged a slow-rolling ground ball and tagged the runner advancing to second beside him before throwing to first to finish the double play.
"Jon has been pretty consistent," Showalter said. "A couple nice plays on a 4-U-3 play that a lot of people stay back on. Jon's been solid. People miss how strong he is mentally. This guy, he's going to stick his nose in there and get it done."