Andrus continues climb up lineup

ARLINGTON -- Elvis Andrus continues to climb in the Rangers' lineup. Andrus, who dropped from No. 2 to the No. 9 spot on Sunday, was in the seventh hole on Wednesday. He batted eighth on Monday and Tuesday.

Andrus went into Wednesday 3-for-10 with two walks in his last three games since the demotion.

"It's getting better," manager Ron Washington said. "You can see him concentrating on his at-bats more and making sure he's not swinging at bad stuff. But he's not doing it naturally. We've got to get him back to the point where it just happens."

Michael Choice, who was in left field, was used in the No. 2 spot on Wednesday. He is the fourth different player used in that spot in the last four games. He follows Daniel Robertson, Josh Wilson and Leonys Martin.

With a left-hander on the mound for the Rockies, Washington also used second baseman Donnie Murphy in the No. 6 spot in the order. It's the eighth time Murphy has batted sixth in the order this season. He entered the game with a career .212 batting average and a .397 slugging percentage, not exactly the normal credentials for a No. 6 hitter in an American League lineup.

"Even though I have Donnie Murphy in the sixth spot, I still feel like we're going to win and Donnie Murphy is going to play a big part," Washington said. "No reservations about it."