Mitch Moreland has been swinging the bat well for the Texas Rangers, and that's led manager Ron Washington to find creative ways to get him in the lineup while also giving left fielder Shin-Soo Choo some days off from the field as he's still probably not 100 percent from an ankle sprain he suffered a couple of weeks ago.
Washington had said prior to the season that Moreland would not play left field in Arlington because of the dimensions of the park, but he didn't rule out his former first baseman playing left field in other parks, and on Monday he got the start in left in Houston.
While Moreland has primarily played first base in his big-league career, he's also been a right fielder, but left field is something new to him.
"It's definitely different for me," Moreland told KESN-103.3 FM. "I have played a little outfield coming up, but it was mostly right field. It's a new experience for me. I'm up for the challenge. I'm going to try and do my best at it. I'm not going to say I feel great out there, but I feel comfortable enough to play left and be able to get through the ball game and try to help the team."
Moreland did commit an error in Monday's game, but it ended up being a harmless one as the Rangers were able to get out of the inning unscathed in their 4-0 win over the Astros.
