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David Murphy, Leonys Martin sitting against LHP Jason Vargas

Ron Washington is juggling his lineup to get more righty bats in the lineup tonight

By Adam J. Morris
USA TODAY Sports

With lefthander Jason Vargas starting for the Angels tonight, Ron Washington is sitting both of his lefthanded hitting outfielders, David Murphy and Leonys Martin.

Jeff Baker is getting the start in left field in place of Murphy, while Craig Gentry is starting in center in place of Martin.

The Rangers have struggled against lefties this season, putting up a .241/.323/.335 line against them on the season, compared to a .263/.324/.466 line against righthanders. The lefty-on-lefty matchups have been particularly vexing for the Rangers this year -- lefty Ranger batters facing lefty pitchers are hitting just .206/.247/.250 on the year.

Leonys has a .286/.286/.286 line in 7 ABs against lefties this season, while Murphy is at .222/.263/.278 in 18 ABs. Mitch Moreland, who is starting tonight at 1B, has been the biggest perpetrator of left-on-left failure this season, going just 1 for 19 with three walks, resulting in a .053/.174/.053 line against lefties in 2013.