Texas Rangers Week in Review: Who’s Hot, Who’s Not

May 29, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Texas Rangers shortstop

(68) hits an rbi triple for his first major league hit during the seventh inning against the Boston Red Sox at Globe Life Park in Arlington. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

This was an interesting week for the Texas Rangers. The team had a seven game winning streak that was ended after they dropped two straight games and Josh Hamilton played his first home game since returning to the team. The Rangers have won three straight series and with a win today will at least split the current home series against the Boston Red Sox. The Rangers have called up their top prospect Chi Chi Gonzalez for a start today although it is unclear whether this will be a spot start for Gonzalez or a permanent position.

The Rangers also traded away Carlos Peguero to the Red Sox earlier this week for cash after Peguero had been designated for assignment early last week. Peguero has appeared in each of the first two games of the series but has not yet gotten a hit.

So, which players were a crucial part of the Texas Rangers success last week? Which players struggled, as the Rangers were able to overcome their issues and win anyway? Let’s take a look back at the week that was for the Rangers, as we see which players were hot, and which were not.

Let us begin with those who struggled last week.

Next: DeShields back to Earth

May 24, 2015; Bronx, NY, USA; Texas Rangers left fielder

(7) bats against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports

3. Delino DeShields

During a nine game stretch in early May, Delino DeShields hit .355 while stealing six bases and driving in six runs and was looking to be a big spark at the top of a surging lineup. In the last week, DeShields has hit just .238/.304/.333 and has not stolen any bases or driven in any runs. When he has gotten on base, however, he has done a good job of scoring. He has reached base seven times from five hits and two walks and has managed to score four runs.

DeShields has remained in the leadoff spot ever since he took over the spot for Shin-Soo Choo. The Rangers like his incredible speed at the top of the order and his ability to score when he gets on base but if he is going to hold on to the top spot he needs to get on base more. While playing most center field for the month of May, DeShields has made just one error in 114 innings and has done a great job replacing Leonys Martin so far.

It is expected for rookies to go through tough patches like DeShields is experiencing this past week and the important part is to see how he handles the adversity in the coming weeks to see if he can pull himself back to the level he was playing at.

DeShields has the potential to be a big part of this lineup and I believe he will turn it around and be force at the lineup for years to come.

Next: Searching for Second Base

May 22, 2015; Bronx, NY, USA; Texas Rangers second baseman Tommy Field (39) sacrifices advancing a man during the third inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

2. Tommy Field

When the Rangers demoted Rougned Odor, there were several players the team had in mind that could step in and replace him. One of these players was Tommy Field who started off strong with two home runs in his first week. In the past week, however, Field has not gotten a hit in 11 at-bats and has struck out six times.

Including Field, the Rangers have had four players play second base this season with the most successful so far being Adam Rosales hitting .225/.295/.400 in 13 games. Odor started at second base for 25 games but hit just .136/.248/.227 after a successful rookie 2014 season in which he hit .259/.297/.402 with nine home runs.

Since being sent down, Odor has hit .309/.397/.691 in 16 games and could be close to making his comeback to the majors. Since this piece was started, Field was designated for assignment to make room for Gonzalez tonight.

Next: A bad week for Colby

May 29, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Texas Rangers starting pitcher

(49) throws during the first inning against the Boston Red Sox at Globe Life Park in Arlington. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

3. Yovani Gallardo

Yovani Gallardo has a 5-6 record this season but is not indicative of how he has performed since he was acquired by the Rangers this past offseason. On the season, Gallardo has a 3.88 ERA in 11 starts this season which is just above his career 3.70 ERA. Some of this difference can be attributed to the increased difficulty of moving from the National League to the American League.

This past week, Gallardo has made two starts and picked up the win in each of them. He pitched 6 innings in each start, giving up a total of three earned runs and striking out 11. The most impressive part of these starts was that Gallardo managed these performances against two tough opponents in the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox.

Gallardo has given up at least one run in all but one start this season and even though he has received 3.56 runs/game support from the offense he has taken the loss in all the games in which he has give up more than two earned runs.

Moving forward, the Rangers will need more performances like this week to week from Gallardo to help lead this pitching staff. With the promotion of Gonzalez, having a veteran pitcher like Gallardo who is performing well will help the entire team.

Next: Can he be stopped?

May 28, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Texas Rangers designated hitter

(84) reacts to hitting a foul ball in the first inning against the Boston Red Sox at Globe Life Park in Arlington. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

2. Prince Fielder

It is starting to seem like Prince Fielder is never going to slow down. For the season, Fielder is hitting .364/.412/.576 and has been by far the best player in this Rangers lineup. This past week, Fielder has reached another level, hitting .484/.500/.871 in 31 at-bats. Three of his 15 hits have been home runs and has driven in 11 runs while scoring seven himself.

Fielder had multiple hits in five of his seven games. Part of his success this season has been his ability to hit left-handed pitching better than his career numbers. In his career, Fielder has hit .268/.345/.459 against lefties. This season, however, Fielder has hit  .311/.354/.541 with four of his 10 home runs coming against lefties.

Another major factor in the recent surge of Fielder has been the success of Mitch Moreland at first base which has allowed Fielder to be the designated hitter more games. At first base, Fielder has hit .297/.357/.459 compared to his incredible line of .379/.425/.602 as the DH.

The Rangers success in May largely has to deal with the strong success of the lineup to generate more runs and Fielder has been in the middle of it all. More weeks like this from Fielder will help get this team over .500 and fighting for a Wild Card spot.

Next: There's a new closer in town

May 24, 2015; Bronx, NY, USA; Texas Rangers starting pitcher

(37) pitches against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports

1. Shawn Tolleson

One of the struggles of the Texas Rangers this season has been the problems with the bullpen. As a team, relievers for the Rangers have a 4.40 ERA which is good enough for fifth worst in the MLB. The biggest problem is that the Rangers not only have one of the worst bullpens, they have had to use it more than any other team. Rangers relievers have pitched 172 innings this season.

Between the struggle and the trip of Neftali Feliz to the disable list, the Rangers were in need of a new closer. The task was given to reliever Shawn Tolleson and he has stepped up into the role and has given the team confidence heading into the ninth inning.

For the season, Tolleson has a 2.70 ERA in 23.1 innings with 30 strikeouts. In the last week, Tolleson has appeared in four games and has notched the save in all four without giving up a run. In those four innings, he has not given up a hit and has not walked any batters.

The success of Tolleson will make the decision of what to do with Feliz more difficult when he returns even with the struggles Feliz has experience this season. If Tolleson is moved out of the closer role, he will likely step into the eighth inning setup role and make spot appearances in the ninth inning when needed. If Feliz returns and struggles like he had, look for Tolleson to step back into this role and should have continued success.

Next: Is it Chi Chi Gonzalez Time in Texas?