Texas notes: Rutledge setting the tone

When Tulsa's Josh Rutledge isn't on a streak -- or on the shelf -- he still seems to be on a tear.

Rutledge, a Colorado Rockies infield prospect, has enjoyed a sizzling stretch that has him hitting nearly .400 for the month of June. Not that offensive outbursts are anything new to Rutledge, who posted a 27-game hitting streak at Class A Advanced Modesto last season.

"I'm just trying not to do too much, just trying to get on base and maybe steal a couple bags here and there," said, Rutledge, who is batting .302 with a team-high 13 stolen bases.

He drove in two runs Saturday as Tulsa clinched the Texas League North Division first-half title with a 3-1 victory at Arkansas. Rutledge homered on the first pitch of the game, the fourth time he's led off a game with a homer this year, and added a sacrifice fly in his second at-bat.

"We're just trying to do everything we can to help win a ballgame," said Rutledge, who set a tone for 2012 with a homer on the fourth pitch of the year at San Antonio.

His game-opening drive Saturday gave Rutledge nine home runs, matching the career high he posted last year.

The only thing that has slowed Rutledge since he signed out of the University of Alabama was a wrist injury in 2010 that limited him to 11 games at Rookie-level Tri-City.

"It was definitely frustrating just having to sit in the dugout every game not being able to do anything, not being able to show them what I can do," Rutledge said. "I know a lot of those coaches had never seen me play before, so it was definitely frustrating not being able to get on the field."

The Rockies took Rutledge in the third round of the 2010 Draft and, except for the injury, his transition to pro ball has been relatively smooth. He batted just .128 in his shortened rookie season and nevertheless skipped Class A to start last year with Modesto in the California League.

He erupted in the second half to post his hitting streak and finish with a .348 average, 160 hits and 71 RBIs.

"It helps a lot coming from college and being able to go play summer ball [in the Cape Cod League] and use wooden bats there," Rutledge said. "The only real difference is having to play every single day, not really getting a day off. Learning how to keep your body healthy is the biggest difference in pro ball."

While the SEC is known for football, it still offers plenty of seasoning for a baseball player and helps explain Rutledge's solid start in pro ball.

"You see a great arm every day you play and you get used to it," he said. "It's a definitely a big part of learning your swing and how pitchers are going to pitch you."

With Troy Tulowitzki firmly established as Colorado's shortstop, Rutledge has been playing quite a bit of second base this year. Though that's a new spot for him, he's open to the transition.

"Changing your arm angle a little bit is really the only huge difference," he said. "Double plays were hard at first, but I work on that a lot during BP."

Grimm tidings: It was an eventful couple of days for Frisco and pitcher Justin Grimm. A day after the RoughRiders clinched the South Division with a 3-2 victory over Corpus Christi, the Texas Rangers purchased Grimm's contract and sent him to the mound for his first big league start against Houston on Saturday. He struck out five consecutive batters in his Major League debut, a first for a Rangers pitcher, and picked up the win.

Straily dose: Midland right-hander Dan Straily suffered some hard luck here and there, but he also made his own luck in earning a Sunday promotion to Triple-A Sacramento. Straily struck out 15 on May 18 but did not earn a decision, and he lost a perfect game on a seventh-inning home run and failed to get a decision last Friday. Straily left Midland with a league-best 108 strikeouts, 29 more than any pitcher in the league at the time.