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?
Kevin Kouzmanoff — In his six games since Adrian Beltre hit the DL, Kouzmanoff has picked up the slack nicely. Don't kid yourself, he's no Beltre, but he's had a nice run in this 6-game span, hitting .450 with a homer, three doubles and five RBIs. In case you're wondering, those numbers lead the team over the past week except for home runs, for which he is tied with three other guys.
Elvis Andrus — Andrus still isn't doing much damage to baseballs, but he's getting hits and getting on base. In his last six games, he's hitting .304 and does have two doubles in that bunch of hits. He's also stolen three bases but been caught twice.
Starting rotation — Aside from Tanner Scheppers, there's been a lot to be excited about with the starting rotation in the past week, whether it's Yu Darvish's scoreless streak, Martin Perez's continued maturation or Robbie Ross' stunning outing Tuesday night, there's plenty to be happy about. Oh, and Colby Lewis is back, y'all.
Who's Off?
Alex Rios — Since being moved to third in the Rangers' order, Rios has struggled with the absence of Adrian Beltre and Prince Fielder hitting in front of him. After a torrid start to the season, Rios is hitting just .130 with two RBIs in the past six games.
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Joakim Soria — Soria has struggled over the past week and was sat in favor of Alexi Ogando for a save situation on Sunday. Granted, Soria had thrown on consecutive days and is still probably not all the way back from Tommy John surgery, but there might be some concern there as he's posted a 4.50 ERA in his last two games with more walks than strikeouts.
