Texas Rangers July 11 Week in Review: Who’s Hot, Who’s Not

Jul 8, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Texas Rangers starting pitcher Matt  Harrison (far right) reacts during the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Globe Life Park in Arlington. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

The Texas Rangers had another rough week, having lost four of their five games this week. They broke a five-game losing streak last night with a win in the first game of the series over the San Diego Padres. The good news for the team is that the Houston Astros have also struggled this week and the Rangers are in a good place. The Astros have just a 0.5 game lead over the Los Angeles Angels and a 5.5 game lead over the Rangers. With just about half the season left, anything can happen with injuries, hot/cold streaks, and even trades.

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The Rangers lost four of the five games they played this week, with two losses coming to a division rival. They finished off the series against the Angels with 0-13 and 6-12 losses as they were swept. This was an important series and taking a loss in all three games was not good for this team. They then lost both games against the Arizona Diamondbacks by a combined score of 6-11. The series was highlighted by the 2-4 loss in which Yovani Gallardo‘s scoreless inning streak ended at 33. The team stayed home to take on the San Diego Padres, taking the first game of a three-game series last night.

Looking ahead to the week, the Rangers will finish the series against the Padres today and tomorrow. Most of the team will have several days off as Prince Fielder heads off to Cincinatti for the All-Star Game. The team will start the second half of the season with a series against the Astros, a series that could set them on the right track if they can pick up a couple wins.

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: Moreland's initial struggles

Jul 5, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Texas Rangers first baseman Mitch  Moreland (18) hits an RBI double during the sixth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Globe Life Park in Arlington. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

3. Mitch Moreland

After being one of the most important parts of the team since returning from injury in May, Moreland has struggled this past week. For the season, Moreland is now hitting .285/.328/.512 with 14 home runs and 44 RBI. Moreland has also been a solid fielder at first base, having a .994 fielding percentage with three errors in 487.2 innings although he has not made an error since May 25th.

This week Moreland began to cool off like the rest of the Rangers. He hit .143/.143/.190 with just three hits in 21 at-bats. Moreland did not hit any home runs this week and drove in just one run. Moreland is one of several players on the team that could benefit from the extra days off this week.

Also considered for this spot: Josh Hamilton has struggled in his return as he hit .167/.231/.250  with just two hits this past week. Hamilton will need to turn it around as the competition for an outfield spot heats up.

Next: Lewis continues to struggle

Jun 30, 2015; Baltimore, MD, USA; Texas Rangers pitcher Colby  Lewis (48) throws a pitch in the second inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports

2. Colby Lewis

Lewis has continued his struggles from the mound, as he has a 4-1 record in his last seven starts but has a 5.00 ERA in 45 innings pitched. For the season he has an 8-4 record with a 4.83 ERA and has pitched 104.1 innings. Lewis started to take a general trend downwards starting with a five inning loss against the Cleveland Indians May 16th in which he gave up six runs (five earned) on seven hits. Since that time, Lewis has a 5-2 record but owns a 6.67 ERA .

Lewis had what has been by far his worst start of the season. He pitched in the final game of the series against the Angels and gave up 10 runs on 12 hits in just 4.0 innings. His season’s ERA jumped from a 4.13 to a 4.83 from just the one game. While Lewis has been struggling, the fact that he has continued to pick up wins is interesting. The team has averaged 5.92 runs in games in which he has pitched, a number that would be difficult to maintain the second half of the season. If the offense can’t keep up the scoring while he pitches, the struggles of Lewis will be more apparent and may end up losing a spot in the rotation.

Lewis will make the start in tonight’s game against the Padres, taking on James Shields.

Next: Choo can't get it going

Jul 7, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Texas Rangers right fielder Shin-Soo  Choo (17) hits a sacrifice fly to drive in a run in the eighth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Globe Life Park in Arlington. Arizona won 4-2. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

1. Shin-Soo Choo

It is starting to seem like Choo is a permanent member on the Not list. He is hitting .227/.310/.395 in 2015, which is one of his worst hitting seasons of his career. In the month of June, Choo hit .225/.301/.343 with three home runs and 11 RBI in 113 plate appearances. He has hit better when playing at home, hitting .277/.355/.471 at home versus just .194/.279/.344 while on the road.

This past week, Choo hit .143/.176/.214 with three RBI and just two hits in his 14 at-bats. Choo hit seventh, eighth, and second in the order this week as it seems the Rangers have finally realized he can not be hitting second. The Rangers need to be scoring runs and having a player with a .176 on-base percentage for the week will not get it done as evidenced by Choo not scoring any runs this week. Rougned Odor took his spot in the order and gives the team a much better chance to win with him and Delino DeShields Jr. at the top of the lineup.

And now, a look at who has been hot in the past week.

Next: Closing the door

Jun 19, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Texas Rangers relief pitcher Shawn  Tolleson (37) throws against the Chicago White Sox in the ninth inning at U.S Cellular Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

3. Shawn Tolleson

Tolleson was not very busy this week with only one save opportunity, coming in the 4-3 win over the San Diego Padres. He converted the save even after letting two runners on base. The Rangers have struggled to get the lead recently and need Tolleson to continue to complete his saves.  For the season, he has a 2.45 ERA with 40 strikeouts in 36.2 innings. He has also successfully converted all 13 save opportunities.

This past week, Tolleson pitched in just two innings and struck out five batters and did not give up any runs. Since June 1, Tolleson has a 2.03 ERA and seven saves in his 13 appearances. He is going to be an important piece of this team in the second half if the offense can turn it around and start giving the team more late-inning leads.

Also considered for this spot: Two other members of the bullpen, Keone Kela and Sam Freeman, combined for 4.1 shutout innings. They struck out seven batters and gave up seven hits.

Next: The All-Star

Jul 5, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Texas Rangers second baseman Rougned  Odor (12) hits an RBI single during the ninth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Globe Life Park in Arlington. The Angels defeated the Rangers 12-6. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

1. Rougned Odor

Odor hit .144/.252/.233 in his first 29 games before being sent down to Triple-A Round Rock. He returned on June 15 and has played in 21 games since then. In those 21 games, he has hit .370/.415/.589 and has been one of the best hitters on the time during that time. He has had nine extra base hits and has driven in 14 runs while scoring seven of his own. Odor has hit second in the lineup several times with the struggles of Choo and should provide a better spark at the top than Choo did.

This past week, Odor hit .389/.400/.722 with a three extra base hits and four RBI and scored four runs. Odor hit second in the order twice this week, going 2-for-8 with a run scored. He should stay in the two-hole as long as he can keep up his hot streak. With Fielder, Adrian Beltre, Moreland, and Hamilton following Odor in the lineup there is a chance they can be as efficient as they were in June.

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