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Rangers’ Choo happy to be back on track

May 12, 2015

Texas Rangers Shin-Soo Choo, of South Korea, left, hits an RBI single in front of Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez during the second inning of a baseball game in Arlington, Texas, Monday, May 11, 2015. Rangers Delino DeShields scored on the play. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

ARLINGTON, Texas, May 11 (Yonhap) — Having put a miserable April behind him, Choo Shin-soo, South Korean outfielder for the Texas Rangers, said Monday he is getting back on track in May.

Choo extended his hitting streak to 11 games at home on Monday versus the Kansas City Royals, going 2-for-5 with an RBI to help the Rangers prevail 8-2.

Choo had an April to forget, going just 5-for-52 for a .096 average, the lowest among all qualified batters in the majors. After sitting out the Rangers’ final two games of April, Choo has played in each of the club’s 11 games this month and has hit safely in all of them.

After Monday’s game, Choo said he’s far from perfect but he can feel that he’s getting into the groove.

“I am still trying to get my timing down,” he said. “But I can see gradual improvements.”

He’s hitting .293 in May with two home runs and eight doubles and has raised his average for the season to .194.

Choo made solid contact on an inside fastball to drive in a run in the second inning, and went up the middle on a high fastball in the fourth.

“It felt great to knock in a run on a difficult pitch,” Choo said of his RBI single that put the Rangers up 4-0. “Kansas City has a strong offense and we needed to score runs and charge out in front when we could.”

Choo had batted in different spots in the order earlier in the season but appears to have settled into the leadoff spot. And his rebound has coincided with the Rangers’ recent surge, as they’ve gone 6-2 in their last eight games.

Choo, who has played more games in the leadoff spot than in any other position in the order, said he doesn’t really care where he bats.

“I am happy to be hitting better, but I am even more pleased that the team’s winning, too,” Choo added.