All season long, fans of the Texas Rangers had grown accustomed to a pretty darn good platoon going on in the outfield between David Murphy and Craig Gentry — with Murphy getting starts against right-handed pitching and Gentry getting the call against lefties.
Well, that isn't so much a platoon nowadays, and it's not because Gentry is slumping. Heck, over the past two months those two have been the team's hottest hitters, but no one has been hotter at the plate than Murphy.
Murphy has hit .343 since June 1 with a .434 on-base percentage with four home runs and 25 RBIs to go with 23 walks and just 12 strikeouts.
Murphy is so hot that he's playing against whoever steps on the mound, including southpaws such as Boston's Jon Lester. Murphy got a big double and later scored on an Ian Kinsler single to give the Rangers a 1-0 lead in the sixth inning.
Managers usually want to ride the hot hands in their lineup, but right now Ron Washington is having a tough time with that. He's choosing Murphy, who just happens to be hotter than the hot Gentry. Good problem to have.
