In a weekly staple, we'll discuss who's in a groove and who's in a rut for the Texas Rangers.
Who's On?
Ian Desmond — In his last six games, Desmond has hit two homers, both of which gave the Rangers the lead in the late innings. He also has a double and eight RBIs in that six-game span and is sporting a .346 batting average.
Nomar Mazara — The 21-year-old rookie just won't regress, as much as you might be expecting him to. Sure, he's been the victim of pitchers around the league getting a book on him, but he's matched with his own adjustments. In his last six games, he's hitting .333 with a homer and is still sporting a season batting average of above .300.
Matt Bush — Bush has pitched in three big-league games, and he's been so dominant he's already being discussed as a possible candidate to close out games for the Rangers. He has 3 2/3 big-league innings under his belt with no hits, no walks and four strikeouts. He's allowed one base runner — Jose Bautista after he gave him a 97 mph heater in the ribs.
Who's Not?
Cole Hamels — In his last two starts, Hamels hasn't been terrible, but he hasn't been Cole Hamels, either. In those two outings, he's allowed 18 hits in 12 1/3 innings with five of those leaving the yard.
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Rougned Odor — It's easy to overlook because of the obvious, but Odor has struggled as of late. In his last six games, he's hitting .148 and that includes a two-hit day on Tuesday.