Josh Hamilton is hitting under .200 over the last month after setting the baseball world on fire over the first two months of the season, but the Texas Rangers have still stayed afloat in the AL West despite the Los Angeles Angels' hot streak over the past month and a half.
How have they managed to do that, you ask? Look no further than Adrian Beltre, who might be making his own case for American League MVP honors as Hamilton's numbers have continued to slide since the beginning of June.
Beltre is in an insane zone right now, hitting .510 over his last 49 at-bats with 12 RBIs. He's got his batting average up to .330 despite going 0-for-3 on Thursday but still chipping in with two RBIs on a sac fly and a bases-loaded walk.
He's now third in the AL in batting average in eighth in RBIs, and that doesn't bring into account his stellar defensive play that has earned him three career gold gloves, including last season.
"Right now, he's solidifying our lineup," David Murphy told reporters on Thursday. "Josh [Hamilton] pretty much carried us through April and May, and he's not at his best right now, which we don't expect him to be like that all year long. Adrian has really picked up the slack. He's hit for power, he's hit for average and he's driving in runs. What more can you ask from a guy hitting in the four hole?"
