ARLINGTON -- The Rangers' flashes of offense the past two nights have not rubbed off on Ian Desmond, the shortstop-turned-left fielder.
Signed as a free agent during Spring Training, Desmond went 0-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts and he scored in Texas' five-run second on Friday. He's hitting .109 after an 11-5 loss to Baltimore, his infield single the night before breaking an 0-for-16 skid.
"You just have to try to find positive signs wherever you can," Desmond said. "It's certainly not what I expected, especially coming off how much work I put in in the offseason and how Spring Training went. I did have a little bit more optimism coming into this season.
"At the same time, I feel good at the plate. Obviously, the results aren't there. I've just missed a couple balls. I've made some good in-game adjustments. But I'm trying to evaluate my swing on a daily basis and not necessarily rely on results alone."

"I've seen some good things in Ian," manager Jeff Banister said. "He's hit some balls hard and come away empty. He's covering the outer half of the plate better, there's more rhythm in his hands. I think he's really close."