Murphy trying to increase production

OAKLAND -- David Murphy was 1-for-3 with a home run and a walk on Monday afternoon and the Rangers want to see more of that. Murphy has been told by manager Ron Washington that he needs to be more productive offensively or he'll possibly lose playing time.

"I don't need to be woken up," Murphy said. "The effort and the preparation haven't been lacking, the only thing lacking are the results. I feel like I've done everything possible to get to the point of having consistent success, it just hasn't happened.

"But the great part of the game is we're in a race for the division, it doesn't matter what's happened in the past. All that matter is how I can contribute today and the rest of the season to help this team win the division and more."

Murphy, who was back in the lineup on Tuesday, went into the game hitting .222 with 13 home runs and 43 RBIs. He had a .281 on-base percentage and a .382 slugging percentage. He had a career .348 on-base percentage and .453 slugging percentage going into the season. The Rangers have called up three outfielders for September: Engel Beltre, James Adduci and Joey Butler. Beltre and Adduci are left-handed hitters.