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Rangers shuffle lineup, move Martin to leadoff spot

ARLINGTON -- Rangers manager Ron Washington, looking to shake up his lineup, moved Leonys Martin into the leadoff spot for Monday's game against the Angels.

Ian Kinsler, who had been leading off for much of the season, moved down into the No. 3 spot and Nelson Cruz was dropped to No. 6 in the order. Martin has been in the No. 2 spot twice this season, but this is his first time leading off.

"I'm just trying to get something going," Washington said. "There has been a lot of talk of Kinsler hitting in the middle of the order, so I thought I would try it and see if it makes a difference. I don't know if it will stay like that."

Martin went into the game hitting .277 with a .327 on-base percentage. He was 10th in the league with 20 stolen bases and tied for the lead with seven bunt hits.

"I don't know if he's ready to bat leadoff, but we're going to find out and see if it makes a difference," Washington said. "It's a learning process for him. We'll see what happens and if he's ready for it."

Monday marked the third time this season Kinsler has hit third. Cruz seemed to be thriving in the third spot, but he went into Monday's game hitting .154 over his last 10 games. Kinsler was hitting .196 over his last 12 games.

"It doesn't really matter where you hit in the lineup," Kinsler said. "If you do a quality job and are able to make a positive impact on the game, then that's really the goal for any hitter no matter what position they're in."

T.R. Sullivan is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, Postcards from Elysian Fields, and follow him on Twitter @Sullivan_Ranger.
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