Murphy in lineup despite lingering back soreness

HOUSTON -- David Murphy was in the Rangers' lineup on Sunday afternoon despite dealing with a sore back after hitting the left-field wall in the eighth inning on Saturday night. Murphy banged into the wall chasing Robbie Grossman's double. He stayed in the game, but had some soreness the morning after.

"It's tight," Murphy said. "The toughest thing is twisting ... swinging the bat. I doesn't feel good, but guys are always dealing with bumps and bruises."

The injury comes at a time when Murphy is beginning to come around at the plate. He took a modest six-game hitting streak into Sunday's game, with six hits in his last 16 at-bats, raising his average 30 points to .198, The Rangers are also beginning a stretch where they will be facing at least eight straight right-handed starting pitchers unless injury or weather forces teams to change set rotations.

This is a chance for Murphy to play regularly. He has been platooning with Jeff Baker in left field, and the Rangers just finished a stretch where they faced 11 left-handed starters over 18 games.

"Things are starting to click a little bit," Murphy said. "It's a matter of getting the feel back. It's all about regaining the feel and not necessarily by playing every day. It's cage work and working hard in batting practice and translating it to the game. The last few days I've done that and I need to continue."