The purpose of moving shortstop Royce Clayton from the leadoff spot to the bottom of the Texas batting order a week ago was to give him an opportunity to get on track. The plan has worked, but Rangers manager Johnny Oates now isn't sure when he will return Clayton to the top spot. He's swinging the bat much better. I like what I see and we'll just ride it for a while.
Nothing feels different, absolutely nothing.
It's nice to dig out of a hole, that's all it takes. The thing is that during the beginning of the season, everything is magnified and looks bad or whatever. Especially when you're in the leadoff role and the team is struggling. The Rangers are 8-13, their worst record after 21 games since they had the same mark in 1988. When centerfielder Tom Goodwin was lost to free agency during the offseason, Oates decided that Clayton was going to be the leadoff man.