Texas slugger Hamilton finds key to success

The hottest hitter in baseball these days just might be playing for baseball's hottest team: Josh Hamilton of the Rangers.

Hamilton is hitting .485 with eight homers, 24 runs batted in and a .926 slugging percentage during a career-high 17-game hitting streak.

Hamilton believes one of the keys to his surge is a better approach to batting practice. And that dates to his sensational performance in the 2008 Home Run Derby at Yankee Stadium. Hamilton set a record with 28 homers in the first round.

Hamilton had reached the All-Star break that year with 21 homers, 95 RBI and a .552 slugging percentage. After the All-Star Game, however, Hamilton fell into a slump and produced 21 homers, 109 RBI and a .456 slugging percentage over the next season and a half.

The Rangers believe that Hamilton fell into the trap of using batting practice to entertain fans with prodigious homers. New Rangers hitting coach Clint Hurdle has convinced him that BP is for refining his stroke and not tape-measure blasts. His new approach has coincided with his improved numbers.

"Ever since the Home Run Derby, all eyes have been on him every time we took batting practice," teammate Michael Young told The Dallas Morning News. "People showed up expecting to see Yankee Stadium all over again. It's inviting and tempting, but he's been disciplined in his approach."

And if he's asked to participate in this year's Home Run Derby in Anaheim, Hamilton plans to decline.

Mixed signals

on Twins prospect

Here's what Minneapolis Star-Tribune columnist Jim Souhan wrote about Twins catching prospect Wilson Ramos, who has been rumored as a possible chip in a Cliff Lee trade to Minnesota: "The Twins have touted Ramos for the last year; I wonder whether they're doing so to inflate his trade value. Ramos is a wonderful talent. He's also known for being lackadaisical, and he looked awful earlier this year in the big leagues once pitchers started throwing breaking pitches."

Notes

• Kerry Wood isn't helping the Indians trade him — and the remainder of his $10.5 million salary for 2010. When Wood gave up a walkoff homer to Jimmy Rollins on Wednesday, it lifted his ERA to 7.98. Wood is 1-3 and has blown three of his eight save opportunities.

• Brewers reliever David Riske, who is from Renton's Lindbergh High School, is finally recovered from the Tommy John elbow surgery that has hampered him since signing a three-year, $13 million free-agent deal in December of 2007. Riske has become one of the more reliable members of Milwaukee's bullpen since returning a few weeks back.

"It feels good to be back but it doesn't surprise me," Riske told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. "That's what I feel I should do — get people out."

• The Phillies are still concerned about Rollins' calf, so when he came off the disabled list, they decided to keep both backup shortstops, Wilson Valdez and Juan Castro. The upshot was that ex-Mariner Greg Dobbs, a key role player on two World Series teams, was designated for assignment. Dobbs set a franchise record for pinch-hits in a season in 2008, but was 1 for 25 in that job this season.

• Speaking of the Phillies, Jamie Moyer picked up his 266th career win when he beat the Indians on Tuesday. He is tied with Eppa Rixey and Bob Feller for 35th place on the all-time list.

Moyer, 47, gave up a home run to Russell Branyan in that game, the 505th round-tripper he has allowed in his career. That tied him with Hall of Famer Robin Roberts, who died earlier this season, for the most in history.

"He's probably laughing at me right now," Moyer told reporters. "The only thing I think about when I hear that is I had a lot of chances to do it."

• Don't award the AL West title to Texas quite yet. The Rangers have traditionally faltered in the hot summer months. In the past decade, they have had a winning record in September/October only twice.

• Good for good guy R.A. Dickey, who has been a Mets savior with his 6-0 record. The 35-year-old Dickey has thrived since pitching coach Dan Warthen suggested he throw his knuckleball slower.

• The surging White Sox believe that their No. 1 draft pick (No. 13 overall), left-handed pitcher Chris Sale, might be able to help them out of the bullpen later this season.