ST. PETERSBURG, FLA. — Orioles second baseman Jonathan Schoop has had stretches like this before, where he has produced so well in the bottom half of the lineup that he’s promoted to the top spot.

Yet something feels different about this year’s sustained success as Schoop moved up to the third spot in the Orioles batting order Saturday, fueled by a searing stretch in June that brought his average up to .295 on the year.

“It’s not always a pure walk,” manager Buck Showalter said. “It’s just Jon’s not getting himself out as much. Like last night, he had a good night and his last at-bat he got jammed on a pop-up. And he was not happy about the fact that he had kind of thrown an at-bat away.”

With Schoop, it has always been about his approach — even as a good breaking ball hitter, he often chased outside the strike zone and didn’t even get into a position to do damage. This year, he has cut back on that significantly.

His 5.9 percent walk rate entering Saturday is twice what it has been in past years, and this year compared with last, he cut his overall swing rate down from 60.2 percent to 50.5 percent. He has swung at pitches outside the strike zone 34.3 percent of the time, compared with 43 percent of the time last year. [All stats via FanGraphs.]

“Not many people here get you out at this level,” Showalter said. “You get some plus stuff guys that give you the ‘Here it is’ and try to out-stuff you. Most of the time, you get yourself out. Jon has done a good job of that this year. He’s taken what they give him.”

That consistency has made Schoop one of the most productive players in the game this year. His .291/.345/.532 batting line through Saturday’s 8-3 win over the Rays represented career highs across the board, with 22 doubles and 14 home runs.

Saturday was just the third time in his career he hit third in the lineup, with three hits in seven career at-bats there. He has hit more extensively in the bottom half of the lineup, with 37 games batting second as well.

Showalter on pitching woes: Showalter on Saturday claimed ignorance of the Orioles’ streak of 20 straight games allowing five or more runs, which tied a major league record.

“I haven’t paid any attention to that,” Showalter said. “I’m OK if we win 6-5 tonight. It’s an indication that we haven’t pitched well, starting-wise, OK? Is that a revelation? It is what it is. I’m not identifying problems. I’m into trying to solve it. It’s pretty easy to identify problems, isn’t it?”

Showalter said there has been some talk of possibly shuffling the rotation, but it’s unclear to what extent. There has been discussion of spreading out right-hander Dylan Bundy’sstarts to get him some more rest with the All-Star break coming up, and Showalter said it could extend beyond that.

Tejada showing form:Rubén Tejada was left out of the lineup for the second time in six games since the Orioles lost shortstop J.J. Hardy to a fractured right wrist. Showalter indicated there has been a mixed bag in terms of what the veteran shortstop has brought in Hardy’s stead.

“Some good, some he needs to get better at,” Showalter said. “He’s trying to clean up a couple things, but that’s big shoes to fill with J.J. being out. Some good. I can see why people like him. There’s some things he’s going to have to get better at.”

Tejada, acquired on June 4 from the New York Yankees in a minor league trade and added to the Orioles roster quickly thereafter, has spelled both Hardy this week and third baseman Manny Machado earlier this month. The longtime New York Mets infielder entered Saturday batting .182 on the season, with just one hit coming in his 15 at-bats since Hardy was hit by a pitch and left with a fractured wrist on June 18.

Around the horn: The Orioles optioned right-hander Miguel Castro back to Double-A Bowie to work as a starter, and added right-hander Stefan Crichton to the bullpen. ... Closer Zach Britton pitched a scoreless seventh inning, walking one, in his second rehabilitation outing at Low-A Delmarva and third overall Saturday. His next outing is at Double-A Bowie on Monday. … Infielder Ryan Flaherty (shoulder) took ground balls at shortstop during batting practice, but didn’t throw. … Showalter said center fielder Adam Jones was batting cleanup because he had the most experience there. Jones is batting .395 in his past 11 games.

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