major observations

Mitch Moreland, the ex-Mississippi State standout, figures to return to regular duty at first base for Texas. He has been playing a lot of right field but that’s likely to end with the return to duty of injured outfielders Josh Hamilton and Nelson Cruz. Moreland is hitting .276 in his second big league season. … Scuffling Bill Hall of Nettleton reportedly will become a platoon player at second base for Houston, which is going to use Angel Sanchez against right-handers. The right-handed Hall is hitting .194 against righties and hasn’t shown the power the Astros were looking for either. … Also slumping is Ole Miss alum Chris Coghlan, whose average has dipped from .274 on May 10 to .239 as of today. He’s scored only six runs for Florida this month, not good for a leadoff batter. … Delta State product Dusty Hughes returned to the big leagues from a stint in the minors and tossed a scoreless inning for Minnesota on Sunday. … Former Holmes Community College star Roy Oswalt suffered his first home loss for Philadelphia on Sunday, yielding eight hits, two walks and one run against Texas. He is 1-2 in his last four starts and now stands just 3-2 with a 2.77 ERA for the year. … Mississippi Gulf Coast CC alumnus Fred Lewis has been given a lot of at-bats by Cincinnati since coming off the DL and is batting .257. But he couldn’t help the Reds avoid being swept in the Ohio Series against Cleveland over the weekend.