ups and downs

Ups. This just in: Mitch Moreland can hit. The former Mississippi State star’s sluggish start for the Texas Rangers seems long forgotten now. He is batting .355 with three home runs and nine RBIs in his last 10 games. He hit two bombs on Thursday. He’s at .283 with six homers for the year. … Two more hits Thursday for Southern Miss product Brian Dozier, who is batting .298 for Minnesota. … Former Pillow Academy standout Louis Coleman was recalled by Kansas City on Thursday and threw a shutout inning against Baltimore. … In case you missed it, former Mississippi Braves hurler Brandon Beachy threw a five-hit shutout (first of his big league career) at Miami and now leads the majors with a 1.33 ERA. … And Mississippi Valley State, which slumped into the SWAC Tournament as a No. 4 seed with a 14-38 record, is 2-0 in the event, including a win over top-seeded host Southern University. Downs. Ole Miss product Alex Presley was sent to Triple-A by Pittsburgh; he was batting just .222 after a 3-for-38 skid. … Ex-M-Braves lefty Matt Harrison, now with the Rangers, got knocked around Thursday and saw his ERA rise to 5.21. … Chris Coghlan, the former UM star and onetime National League rookie of the year, is hitting just .246 in Triple-A since being sent down last month by the Marlins. … The state’s Big 3 Division I schools, presumably gearing up for tournament play, scored a grand total of four runs combined on Thursday. Only Mississippi State got a win, thanks largely to the pitching of Ferriss Trophy winner Chris Stratton.