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?
Shin-Soo Choo — There is no question who the Rangers' second-half MVP has been, and it's this guy — the same guy fans were ready to send away Josh Hamilton style just a couple of months ago. Over his last six games, Choo is batting .571 with a .643 on-base percentage and has three RBIs with six runs scored.
Adrian Beltre — The veteran third baseman is getting hot again down the stretch, and in his past six games, he's hitting .476 with four doubles and seven RBIs.
Mike Napoli — His gaffes in left field notwithstanding, Napoli is crushing the ball right now and is forcing Jeff Banister to continue to playing him even if he's a defensive liability. In his past five games (all in left field), he's hitting .429 with a double, homer and four RBIs in limited duty, as he's being removed in the middle innings for defensive purposes.
Cole Hamels — Hamels has three more regular-season starts in line after the latest rotation shuffling, and his last start showed why. He fanned 12, walked none and gave up one run in seven innings of work against the Mariners.
Who's Off?
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Derek Holland — Holland was atrocious on Sunday, giving up seven runs on seven hits in 4 1/3 innings. He walked five and struck out three in a loss to the Mariners and King Felix.
Prince Fielder — Fielder has just three hits in his last six games to go with five walks, but two of his three hits left the yard and he's driven in six runs in that time.
