Rangers give Odor a chance in the leadoff spot

Rougned Odor was in the Texas Ranges’ leadoff spot for the first time this season and for the 12th time in his career Monday in the series opener against the Mariners, and he could be there more often with Shin-Soo Choo on the disabled list.

The regular leadoff hitter, Delino DeShields, was off to rest some lingering soreness in his right shoulder, and Choo will be out up to six weeks with a strained right calf. He received a platelet-rich plasma injection Monday help aid his recovery.

That left Odor, the second baseman, as the top candidate to bat first against Hisashi Iwakuma, a premium strike thrower who entered with six wins in his past eight starts against the Rangers. Odor said that he would tighten up his approach, though he wasn’t simply just going to take pitches.

“I have to work him more, but if I see a good pitch, I’m going to hit it,” said Odor, who had 11 games atop the lineup in 2015.

Manager Jeff Banister didn’t want Odor changing much of anything. Even though he’s an aggressive hitter, Odor has the kind of speed Banister likes to see in a leadoff hitter.

“He can also put you up one point real quick, too,” Banister said, noting Odor’s power.

With DeShields on the bench, Ian Desmond shifted to center field for the second time this season and Ryan Rua was in left field. The right-handed-hitting Rua is likely to start again Tuesday against Mariners left-hander Wade Miley.

Family affair

Brett Nicholas couldn’t have asked for a better place to make his major league debut.

The catcher, added to the roster Sunday, was behind the plate for his first career game at Safeco Field, where several family members who live near Tacoma, Wash., were in the stands.

Included was Nicholas’ 92-year-old grandfather, Frank McCabe, a star pitcher for the Fort Lewis Employees Association in the 1950s. He struck out 24 batters in a 14-inning game in 1950 and was inducted into the Tacoma-Pierce County Old-Timers Baseball Association Hall of Fame in 2003.

“It’s always been a dream to leave tickets for him at this ballpark,” said Nicholas, who lives in Phoenix. “He was always my biggest idol as far as baseball goes. That adds to this.”

His wife, parents and father-in-law made it to Angel Stadium on Sunday from Arizona for his first game on the roster and continued the journey to the Pacific Northwest.

Holland returns

Left-hander Derek Holland has found success on the road the past four seasons, going 14-6 with a 3.47 ERA in 35 starts. His career numbers at pitcher-friendly Safeco Field are even better, at 3-1 with a 2.29 ERA in 39 innings.

He was aware of his road successes, but said that he not aware of the success Mariners second baseman Robinson Cano has had against him. The All-Star is a career .405 hitter against Holland.

“Are you sure?” he said. “You looked it up?”

Neither matters much to him.

“I know what I’ve got to do,” Holland said. “It’s cold here, so you can get away with a little bit more, especially inside. Hitters don’t like it too much when their hands are stinging. I don’t really think too much about the ballpark. I’ve just got to go out and make my pitches.”

Holland allowed three runs in five innings Thursday in his 2016 debut, a start that ranked as the worst by a Rangers starter through seven games. Holland said that is a good sign for the rotation.

“We’ve got to continue it, though,” he said. “We feed off each other and have a lot of fun with it. That’s the best part.”

This story was originally published April 11, 2016 at 9:38 PM with the headline "Rangers give Odor a chance in the leadoff spot."