For the third straight game, the Rangers will be without their regular center fielder.
Leonys Martin has been out since Tuesday with a stiff neck. He was scratched shortly before Tuesday’s game against the Mariners and did not play in the series finale Wednesday afternoon. Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News says that Martin will sit again in the series opener against Detroit on Thursday.
This time however, Grant says, it has more to do with Martin’s performance against left-handed pitching than the neck injury. Grant lists a series of stats for Martin that pertain to today’s game.
"• Against left-handed pitching Martin is hitting .234 with a .280 OBP and .298 slugging percentage for 54 at-bats.• On the road, he is hitting .185 with a .221 OBP and a .200 slugging percentage for 65 at-bats, which is just a continuation of a career-long trend. He has a .212 career road batting average, .255 OBP and .317 slugging percentage.• In day games, he is 7-for-34 for a .206 batting average and .229 OBP. He has no extra-base hits in day games.For the season, Martin is 2-for-20 in road games against lefties with no extra base hits or walks and five strikeouts. He’s had only two at-bats in road day games vs. lefties and his hitless in both of those."
That’s not to suggest that the replacement for Martin today is much better. Rookie Daniel Robertson, acquired from the Padres, hasn’t had a hit against lefties since he was called up. That being said, Robertson has only had four plate appearances against lefties.
With Ron Washington saying that Martin is out Thursday only because of performance splits, it seems to suggest he could return for Friday’s game in Detroit.