HOUSTON -- A black hole has been found in the Rangers lineup: the No. 4 spot in the batting order.
Rangers No. 4 hitters went into Thursday's game with the Astros hitting a collective .147 with a .212 on-base percentage. Both were the lowest in the American League. Their .284 slugging percentage was the second lowest.
"The four hole has been a challenging spot for us," manager Jeff Banister admitted.
Elvis Andrus was used in the fourth spot for the second time this season, after having never done it before in his career.
The biggest challenge has been the absence of Adrian Beltre, who is on the disabled list with a strained right calf muscle and not expected to return for at least a few more weeks.