Hamilton and Cruz to Return: Texas Rangers Ready to Hit on All Cylinders

Josh Hamilton and Nelson Cruz are ready to ride back into town.

Thank goodness. 

At last check, both Hamilton and Cruz are expected to be in uniform tonight (Monday). The way the Rangers are swinging right now, the team could use their bats.

The Texas Rangers in their last 11 games are 6-5. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it's obvious starting pitching, not the vaunted Texas offense, is responsible for their limited success.

Pitching and defense have carried Texas through some tough matchups, including an unholy three game set against the best the Philadelphia Phillies had to offer in Roy Hallady (6-3, 2.21 ERA), Cliff Lee (3-4, 3.37) and Roy Oswalt (3-1, 3.09). 

In that series, the Rangers scored just four runs despite having runners in scoring position all weekend (including a total of six for 51 on the entire road trip)—that's what happens when you face a pitching staff of that quality.

Bernadette Peters could be the Phillies No. 5 starter and they'd still have a 28-18 record.

But I digress.

The Texas offense, on the other hand, has been spitting and sputtering by Ranger standards. Manager Ron Washington says his players are just one big hit away. Let's hope so.

Enter Hamilton and Cruz.

In his last rehab start at Triple A Round Rock, Hamilton, who suffered a fractured arm April 22, was 0-4, but said he was ready to return.

"I'm excited to be back home and just be around the guys and be on the field with the guys and be in the lineup," Hamilton said, according to the Fort Worth Star Telegram.

"I'm anxious to get back out there and feel I'm ready to be out there."

Nelson Cruz, meanwhile, was a strikeout machine before going on the disabled list with a quadriceps injury. Cruz was in a slump and making poor contact with the ball; getting only two hits in his last 23 at bats.

Cruz claims he's fixed the problem with his swing and that his leg feels fine. 

"I just needed to go out there and be a little more patient," Cruz said. "I'm excited to be back, and hopefully tomorrow we can do something to help the team."

If the Ranger's starting pitching continues the performance we've seen over the course of the last three series, then Hamilton and Cruz's impact should be felt immediately.

Just having them in the lineup gives Washington far more options at the plate—and may be the spark the Rangers need to finally break out—and take control of the AL West.

Thank goodness.