'It's Fun To Watch': Rangers' Davis 'Khrushes' Two Home Runs vs Reds
The Texas Rangers lineup will be much more formidable than many expect if star slugger Joey Gallo has some protection in the lineup.
We might be witnessing the emergence of Khris Davis in that role.
On Thursday night, Davis went 3-for-4 with two home runs and four RBI. His second homer of the night was a titanic three-run shot in the sixth inning that gave Texas their first lead of the night.
Ahead of the game, Davis had been 2-for-22 in Cactus League play, leaving many to wonder if the same guy who hit 40-plus homers from 2016-18 could provide a much-needed thump in the middle of the Rangers order.
"The hitting coaches and I have been raving about this guy's work every day," said Rangers manager Chris Woodward. "I know he had talked about putting a little pressure on himself to get some results because he felt so good. ... It's fun to watch when this guy can turn around some pitches because the ball just jumps off his bat."
In addition to the two home runs on Thursday night, Davis went deep in a "B" game with the Cleveland Indians on Wednesday, drilling an opposite-field three-run home run off hard-throwing southpaw Sam Hentges.
As a career "Ranger killer" with the Oakland A's, the Rangers needed no introduction to the type of impact Davis can provide in the middle of any lineup. While he wasn't the centerpiece of the Elvis Andrus trade in early February, the Rangers still had every intention of letting Davis come into camp and compete for a job in the heart of the Texas lineup.
We've noted already that the Rangers need to find some protection for Joey Gallo. With how Gallo can work deep counts, pitchers will have no urgency to throw strikes to him if there's nobody behind him who poses a threat.
This version of Khris Davis absolutely fits the bill.
"We know what this guy has done in the past," Woodward said. "If we can get somewhere near that, we've got a pretty impact bat. It's been fun to watch. Hopefully, the trend continues."
Promo photo: Kelly Gavin / Courtesy of the Texas Rangers
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Chris Halicke covers the Texas Rangers for InsideTheRangers.com. Follow him on Twitter @ChrisHalicke.
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