Josh Hamilton and More American League Players Who Need to Have a Big Week

Remember when Josh Hamilton was the best baseball player on the planet?

No?

I guess I don't blame you. It was actually kind of a long time ago. Hamilton put up ridiculous numbers in the first six weeks of the 2012 season, but ever since, he's devolved into a merely average ballplayer. 

It's only gotten worse in the two weeks since the All-Star break. Hits have been hard to come by for Hamilton, and his strikeouts are piling up. The Rangers have felt the effects of Hamilton's slump, as they're just 4-4 since the break. 

For the Rangers to snap out of it, Hamilton's going to have to snap out of it. With the Rangers facing a tough week's worth of games, there's no time like the present for Hamilton to have a big week.

And he's not the only American Leaguer who needs to show up over the next seven days. Here's a look at a few more AL players who could stand to have a big week.

Note: All stats come from Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.

Felix Doubront, Boston Red Sox

The one thing the Red Sox haven't gotten from their starting pitchers this season is simple consistency.

OK fine; the Red Sox haven't gotten a lot of things from their starting pitchers this season. Their rotation has been a mess from the word "go," and it's not getting any better. Jon Lester and Josh Beckett, in particular, look completely out of whack.

But consistency has obviously been a big problem. Except, of course, when it comes to Felix Doubront. 

Doubront has pitched at least six innings in 12 of his 18 starts this season, and he's tied for the team lead with 10 quality starts. The Red Sox have won 13 of his starts, which is thanks primarily to the fact that they've scored over seven runs per game when Doubront has been on the mound.

Doubront has done his part as well, though. His 4.24 ERA will do for a rookie starter, and his 8.7 K/9 is well above average.

The Red Sox are going to need Doubront to be his typical self this week more than ever before. They're facing a brutal six-game road swing that will see them take on the Texas Rangers and the New York Yankees, two teams that can absolutely mash.

Doubront is scheduled to make two starts, one on Monday night in Arlington and another on Sunday night in The Bronx. If he can't get it done, then the Red Sox will be facing a disaster of a road trip that could have them thinking it's time to sell at the trade deadline.

No pressure, rook.

Adam Dunn, Chicago White Sox

For much of the season, Adam Dunn was one of the most pleasant surprises in Major League Baseball. He was basically back to his old self, hitting home runs left and right while getting on base at an impressive rate.

But over the last six weeks or so, Dunn has gone back to being his 2011 self. 

Since June 1, Dunn is batting .172/.319/.417 with a .736 OPS. He has homered 12 times, but he's struck out an astonishing 62 times in 151 at-bats.

Dunn hasn't gotten back on track since the All-Star break, as he's hitting just .167/.302/.417 with three homers and 10 punchouts in 10 games. He's done little to help a White Sox team that has lost five in a row and seven of 10 thus far in the second half.

Dunn isn't the only White Sox regular who's struggling right now. Paul Konerko is also in a bad slump, and Kevin Youkilis has also been scuffling. 

The difference is simply how long Dunn has been struggling. It's gotten to the point where his batting average could finally slip below the Mendoza line this week if he doesn't snap out of it and collect a few hits. He's hitting right around .240 at the end of May, and now he's down to .204.

Hitting for a high average has never been Dunn's forte, but you can rest assured that he doesn't want to be under the Mendoza line again. That's where he was all of last season, and it was not a fun time.

A few hits this week will keep Dunn safely above the Mendoza line. Those hits would also help a White Sox team that needs as much help as it can get right now.

Josh Hamilton, Texas Rangers

Think back, if you will, to May 13, 2012.

When that day came to an end, Josh Hamilton was hitting .402/.455/.866 with a 1.321 OPS, 18 home runs and 44 RBI. It was basically impossible to get him out.

Getting him out has gotten to be a lot easier. Since May 14, Hamilton is hitting just .225/.305/.431 with a .736 OPS, 10 homers and 34 RBI in 55 games. The Rangers' record in these games is barely over .500 at 29-26.

Things have been even worse for Hamilton since the All-Star break. In eight games, he's hit .156/.176/.250 with one home run and 14 strikeouts. The Rangers have gone 4-4.

The Rangers still have a fairly comfortable lead in the AL West, as they lead the Angels by five games. But it's not just the Angels, who just took two out of three from the Rangers, that they have to worry about. The Oakland A's are on fire, and they now sit just 5.5 games out of first.

The Rangers are hosting two tough teams this week in the Red Sox and the White Sox. They can put a lot of minds at ease by winning four, five or all six of their games this week. To do that, they need Hamilton's bat to get hot again.

The idea of Hamilton having a good week was as sure a bet as any earlier in the season. But now, all bets are off.

Ubaldo Jimenez, Cleveland Indians

Ubaldo Jimenez has shown flashes of his old self this season, and he seemed to have things all figured out a couple weeks ago.

In seven starts between June 5 and July 7, Jimenez compiled a 2.93 ERA while racking up 44 strikeouts in 46 innings. The Indians won four of those seven starts.

It looked like he had turned a corner in that stretch, but it turns out it was just a tease.

Jimenez has regressed in his last two starts, allowing 13 earned runs over eight innings. He's given up 14 hits and walked nine. His ERA has ballooned from 4.50 to 5.24.

Jimenez's recent struggles have come at the worst possible time, as the Indians are struggling to stay relevant in an AL Central division that has been seized by a hot Detroit Tigers team. The Indians are still within 4.5 games of first place, but they're trending in the wrong direction. They've lost seven of 10 since the break.

The Indians will have a chance to stick it to the Tigers in the three-game series in Cleveland this week. Jimenez will take the mound in the first game of that series on Tuesday, and he'll take the mound again on Sunday against the Minnesota Twins.

The good news? Jimenez has already beaten the Tigers twice this season, and he could have the element of surprise on his side when he faces the Twins for the first time this season.

The bad news? Nothing can ever be taken for granted where Jimenez is concerned.

Addison Reed, Chicago White Sox

Addison Reed leads all MLB rookies in saves with 15. He also boasts a solid 9.0 K/9 and is holding opponents to a .234 batting average.

This is the good stuff. The bad stuff consists of a 4.24 ERA, two blown saves in his last four opportunities, just three strikeouts in six innings in the month of July and other such unflattering statistics.

For now, Robin Ventura is sticking with Reed as his closer, per a report from the Chicago Tribune. But with Brett Myers coming over from the Houston Astros in a recent trade, Ventura now has another closer to turn to, one with a significant edge in experience.

This, of course, will depend on Reed's performance in the immediate future. He's been hit or miss thus far in July, and the White Sox can ill-afford any more misses now that they've fallen behind the Tigers in the AL Central. 

Reed obviously doesn't have the power to single-handedly deliver any wins. He can hold up his end of the bargain merely by sealing wins, something that has been a struggle for him lately.

A single misstep will probably result in a demotion from the closer's role. Reed is going to be on a very short leash this week and beyond.

A Few More

Asdrubal Cabrera, Cleveland Indians

Cabrera went into the All-Star break in a slump, and he has yet to emerge from it. He's hitting .171 with a single home run and a single RBI in 10 games since the break.

Adrian Gonzalez, Boston Red Sox

Gonzalez has been on fire since the break, hitting .438 with three homers and 13 RBI in eight games. With David Ortiz on the disabled list, he needs to keep being the big bopper in Boston's lineup over the next seven days as they tackle Texas and New York.

Jeremy Hellickson, Tampa Bay Rays

The Rays could end up selling at the trade deadline if they sense that this season is a lost cause. Hellickson can keep them in the race if he performs well in his two starts this week against Baltimore and the LA Angels.

Paul Konerko, Chicago White Sox

Konerko has shown signs of life recently, hitting an even .400 in his last six games. He hasn't hit many balls hard, though, so you have to take his recent hotness for what it's worth.

Jon Lester, Boston Red Sox

Fortunately for the Red Sox, Lester is only making one start this week. The downside is that it will come on Saturday against the Yankees at Yankee Stadium. He desperately needs a good performance.

Justin Masterson, Cleveland Indians

Masterson has been just as enigmatic as Jimenez this season. He'll need his best stuff in his two starts against Baltimore and Minnesota.

Mark Teixeira, New York Yankees

Like Gonzalez, Teixeira has been money since the break, hitting .324 with four homers and 11 RBI. He even hit well in Oakland, collecting five hits in 13 at-bats. Look for him to keep it going against Seattle and Boston this week.

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