Beltre trying to get untracked

ANAHEIM -- The Rangers' new lineup on Sunday did not affect third baseman Adrian Beltre. With a left-hander on the mound, he was still batting third ahead of first baseman Prince Fielder. The two flip-flop when there is a right-hander on the mound.

But Beltre has been struggling as much as anybody in the lineup since his return from the disabled list. Beltre, who missed two weeks with a tight left quad muscle, is hitless in his last 12 at-bats, one for his last 20 and hitting .167 with one RBI in eight games since his return.

"I'm trying to find my swing," Beltre said. "You go through highs and lows during the season. I lost my swing when I went on the disabled list and I'm trying to find it. When you're in a slump, sometimes you hit the ball hard and they catch it and sometimes you take bad swings. It all evens out at the end.

"I'm not frustrated. Of course I want to help the team win ballgames. But it's baseball, sooner or later it will happen."

Beltre, Fielder and Alex Rios have all batted No. 3 this season and nobody has been able to produce in the spot. Going into Sunday, Rangers No. 3 hitters were batting .213 with a .262 on-base percentage and a .287 slugging percentage. All three were the lowest for an American League team. They are the only A.L. team without a home run from that spot.

Like Elvis, manager Ron Washinton said Beltre is out of sync at the plate.

"If you're gone for two weeks, you're not going to step in there and have everything fall into place," Washington said. "It's a matter of him getting at-bats. I'm not worried about Beltre."