Murphy is playing through pain

OAKLAND -- Rangers outfielder David Murphy still had a sizable black-and-blue mark in his tailbone area and was still in some pain resulting from a collision with the left-field wall on Saturday in Houston, but he was back in the lineup on Monday night against the Athletics.

"It's still hurts. but it's better," Murphy said. "It's just another something you have to deal with over the course of a 162-game season."

Murphy hit a two-run home run in Sunday's game and also made a nice running catch in the first inning. He had to go far to his left and reach down to snag Jose Altuve's line drive in the gap. The catch saved the Rangers from giving up an early run.

"I was laughing when Altuve hit that line drive to me," Murphy said. "That was definitely a test early on. I felt stiffness in general, but I felt good enough to play. I wasn't 100 percent, but I was good enough."

The home run extended Murphy's hitting streak to seven games and his batting average is at .200 for the season. That's the highest it has been since he went 1-for-3 on Opening Day.

"I feel pretty good, and the results have been good," Murphy said. "I feel like I'm in a good place. I'm a lot more comfortable, and the results are better. I'm making adjustments better, and everything is more focused."