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?
J.P. Arencibia — Where did this come from? Over the last seven games, the former catcher-turned-first baseman is hitting .320 — about 150 points over his awful season average — with three home runs and 12 RBIs — triple his closest competition on the team in that span. He has to be a pretty strong candidate for AL Player of the Week if he keeps this up for a couple of more days.
Elvis Andrus — Over the last seven games, Andrus' average is a team-high .375 with a triple. He had a key two-run single in the ninth inning Tuesday to close the Rangers' deficit to one run, but that's as close as they could get. Over that span, he's tied for second on the team with Adrian Beltre with four behind Arencibia's monstrous total.
Neftali Feliz — The new, old Rangers closer is off to a good start since being promoted back to his old job after the Rangers dealt Joakim Soria last week. Feliz has had two save opportunities, and converted both with relative ease, allowing one hit, a walk and no runs in his two innings of work since the promotion.
Who's Off?
Neal Cotts — The Rangers are looking to trade Cotts by Thursday's 3 p.m. trade deadline, and they almost certainly will. But his recent bad spell won't help matters. In his last three games, he's given up two runs on four hits to earn himself a 6.00 ERA in the last week.
Sports Connection
Connecting you to your favorite North Texas sports teams as well as sports news around the globe.
Leonys Martin — Despite his good game at the plate on Tuesday night, Martin is still in a big struggle. He snapped an 0-for-16 skid with his seventh-inning triple, and he later added a single. Even still, in the last week, Martin is batting just .174 with two triples and no RBIs.
