Rangers manager Chris Woodward explains his rare decision to use the same batting order in two straight games

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Sometimes doing the same thing can be different.

Take the case of the Rangers’ batting order. On Tuesday, the Rangers’ batting order against Los Angeles was identical to the one that produced a 6-4 win on Monday. It’s the first time this season, manager Chris Woodward has used an identical batting order on consecutive days and only the third time in his three years as Rangers manager.

A lot of it may have had to do with the five-run sixth inning the Rangers fashioned from a leadoff walk, three opposite field singles, a sacrifice fly, a pair of errors and a wild pitch. It matched the first inning of the season as the Rangers’ biggest of the year.

It’s the kind of inning Woodward has always spoken about when explaining his offensive vision.

“I liked the way it was running yesterday, the way we kind of strung together some hits and put a crooked number on the board,” Woodward said. “We didn’t have a huge hit. We didn’t get like a hanging breaking ball to hit. We hit some tough pitches. We used the whole field. We had good, aggressive baserunning. We had a two-out hit. Everything about it and the way we are approached it was exactly what we preach.”

Lineups are fickle organisms, based on health and hot streaks. While the top half of the Rangers lineup has remained fairly constant early in the season, Monday the Rangers featured Willie Calhoun hitting sixth, Adolis Garcia eighth and Brock Holt ninth all for the first time this season. Jose Trevino hit seventh. Trevino was back in the lineup on Tuesday but will likely get Wednesday’s game off.

In the sixth Monday, Joey Gallo led off with a walk. Nate Lowe, Nick Solak and Calhoun each followed with opposite-field singles. Trevino hit a sacrifice fly. Garcia reached on an error and eventually scored on Holt’s two-out hit.

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