There were two phases to fixing Mitch Moreland after it was determined he had broken a small bone in his right wrist last season.
One involved a surgical procedure. The second was all up to Moreland.
With each passing day, it is looking more and more as if Moreland has shed the bad habits that crept into his approach last year as he got weaker and weaker due to the wrist injury. The results are making a big difference for the Texas Rangers.
On Thursday, Moreland stepped in when Michael Young had to leave the game early so he could attend the birth of his third child. Moreland delivered the go-ahead hit in a six-run, eighth-inning rally that gave the Rangers a 10-6 win over the Minnesota Twins. It was the second consecutive game in which the Rangers had at least five runs in an inning, and it was the big-league-leading 24th such inning for the club.
Moreland also had the big blow Wednesday, a grand slam to break open a still-close game with the Baltimore Orioles. Since returning from a six-week stint on the disabled list caused by a strained hamstring muscle, Moreland is hitting .375.
“He’s certainly in a better place,” manager Ron Washington said. “Last year, he grinded it out. This year he’s healthy, and I’m not surprised by anything he does when he’s healthy. He used the whole field really well.”
Said Moreland: “I definitely feel better. I couldn’t do much running while I was on the DL, so I spent a lot of time trying to work on getting in a better hitting position. It’s something I worked on. I wanted to grind out at-bats better. I feel like I’ve done that for the most part.”