Top hitters in Twins' Nunez, Rangers' Desmond face off
Eduardo Nunez has been arguably one of the most complete players in the major leagues this season, collecting 87 hits in 273 at-bats (.319 batting average) while generating All-Star buzz.
This weekend, he and the Twins will face another player putting up strong numbers across the board: Texas Rangers center fielder Ian Desmond.
Nunez and Desmond are two of only five major leaguers who have at least a .300 average with 10 home runs and 10 stolen bases this season. All five play in the American League.
| Player, team | BA | HR | SB |
| Jose Altuve, Hou | .357 | 13 | 21 |
| Mike Trout, LAA | .323 | 17 | 11 |
| Eduardo Nunez, Min | .319 | 11 | 18 |
| Ian Desmond, Tex | .318 | 14 | 14 |
| Francisco Lindor, Cle | .304 | 10 | 13 |
The 30-year-old Desmond signed with Texas as a free agent this past offseason after seven years with the Nationals. He's a career .268 hitter with 124 home runs. His best season at the plate came in 2012, when he hit .292 in 130 games with 25 home runs and 73 RBI.
Nunez, 29, has already set career highs in hits, runs, home runs and RBI this season and is on track for career highs in games, at-bats and batting average. He's batting .370 (10-for-27) with two home runs over his last seven games.
Nunez isn't the only Twins batter who's been hot as of late. Catcher Kurt Suzuki, who had a .200 average through May 30, has been one of baseball's hottest hitters as of late, batting .377 since May 31.
| Player, team | AVG |
| Jose Altuve, Hou | .419 |
| Kendrys Morales, KC | .402 |
| Kurt Suzuki, Min | .377 (29/77) |
| Matt Carpenter, StL | .375 |
| Carlos Gonzalez, Col | .375 |
| Manny Machado, Bal | .375 |
| Ichiro Suzuki, Mia | .375 |
Suzuki has raised his average to .279 on the year while adding in four home runs and 25 RBI. The 32-year-old hit three home runs and 14 RBI in June, while his .370 average was his best for a month since June 2008 when he also hit .370.
Notes:
--Ervin Santana has 13 career wins against the Rangers, which is the fifth most among active pitchers. He's made 30 career starts against the rangers, going 13-11 with a 5.67 ERA over 182 2/3 innings.
| Player | Record |
| Bartolo Colon | 20-9 |
| Felix Hernandez | 17-22 |
| Jered Weaver | 16-8 |
| John Lackey | 14-15 |
| Ervin Santana | 13-11 |
Statistics courtesy STATS LLC
