ARLINGTON – Astros outfielder Hunter Pence is back in his comfort zone – at the plate and in his hometown.

After a slow start this season, Pence has regained the batting stroke that made him a contender for National League Rookie of the Year last season.

"It is all about feeling comfortable at the plate," said Pence, who extended his hitting streak to 14 games on an infield single in Friday night's series opener with the Rangers at the Ballpark. "I've worked on a lot of little things.

"Mainly, I wasn't getting my left foot down," said Pence, a right-handed batter. "It is hard to swing with a foot in the air."

During the streak, Pence is batting .357 with three home runs and 14 RBIs.

His .161 batting average on April 18 is now .285.

He's been successful at Rangers Ballpark, which is less than four miles from where Pence played at Arlington High and later at UT-Arlington.

In his three-game hometown debut in 2007, Pence batted .385 with two doubles and a home run. But he downplays the .417 average against the Rangers he took into Friday's game.

"I try hard to help my team win every game," Pence said. "Maybe a few balls found holes against the Rangers. But we're only talking about six games. That's not enough to see a trend."

If anything, it is a little more of a challenge to maintain focus here. He's providing 50 passes for the three-game weekend series, and everybody seems to want to spend time with him.

"It's nice to be home, seeing old friends from college and high school, but I still have to focus on my job," Pence said. "I'm here for a reason."

Pence said growing up he followed the Rangers, attending a couple of games a year. His playing schedule kept him from coming to more.

"The strangest part of playing here now," he said, "is remembering how really big the outfield looked and how hard it seemed to cover that ground. Now, it seems totally different."

Age: 25

Ht./Wt: 6-4, 210 pounds

Position: Outfield

Bats: Right.

Throws: Right

College: UT-Arlington

High school: Arlington

2007: Batted .322 and was named Astros' rookie of the year. ... His 246 total bases were the most for an Astros rookie since Joe Morgan in 1965. ... Suffered a wrist injury last July that sidelined him for more than a month.

Did you know? Pence declined to sign with Milwaukee after being drafted in the 40th round of the 2002 amateur draft. He signed with Houston on July 14, 2004, after being picked in the second round of that year's draft.