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Rangers Take Cruz Around Seattle In 6-4 Win

SEATTLE - Before Friday’s game, Nelson Cruz was informed he’d been added to the AL All-Star team. After it, he found out Major League Baseball officials had contacted his agent to see if he might be interested in joining the Home Run Derby.

Nice moments, both, but neither compared to finally getting back in the Rangers lineup.

“I think I was more excited about getting to play than making the All-Star Game,” Cruz said after hitting a key homer in the Rangers 6-4 win over Seattle. “I’m here to play. I want to play everyday. I can’t remember the last time I didn’t play four days in a row.”

In actuality, Cruz only sat three consecutive days. But when he arrived at Safeco Field Friday afternoon, not only was he greeted by the All-Star Game news but also another lineup card without his name. It wasn’t until later in the afternoon when David Murphy reported soreness in his right ring finger that Cruz got into the lineup card.

Manager Ron Washington had maintained the last couple of days that Cruz wasn’t playing because he was going with the “hot hands”in his three outfield spots and at DH. Murphy is hitting .320 since June 1, tops on the team. Josh Hamilton’s bat was sorely missed when he was on the DL. Marlon Byrd had 11 RBIs in the Rangers last 11 games to go with a 1.163 on-base-plus-slugging percentage (OPS). And Andruw Jones had five homers and 11 RBIs in his last six games. And then there was Cruz, who entered the game with 20 homers, but only a .206 batting average and .688 OPS since June 1.

The way Washington saw it, he had five quality outfielders for four jobs. That meant somebody had to sit. That somebody has been Cruz. For this key week in the season in which the Rangers are playing AL West contenders, Washington elected to go with the hot hands rather than rotate starts to keep everybody fresh. He can keep them fresh after the four-day All-Star break that commences Monday.

Now comes the question whether Cruz’s hands have actually turned hot. He went 2-for-3 with a single and a walk Friday. The evening was topped off by a two-run homer off Shawn Kelley in the eighth that gave the Rangers a 6-2 lead.

Asked if Cruz now qualifies as hot, Washington declined to provide a definition.

“I don’t know how to answer that question,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of quality guys for those spots. I’m trying to play them.”

While Cruz admitted being frustrated over the long layoff, he did agree that Washington has a difficult job on his hands right now.

“It’s a tough call,” he said. “If you go 0-for-4 one night, it doesn’t mean you are cold. If you go 3-for-3 one night, it doesn’t mean you are hot. It’s baseball. You go through ups and downs. I came here today ready to play and didn’t see my name again. I just thought four days is a lot.”

If he doesn’t play again on Saturday, he can spend his time gearing up for the Home Run Derby. After MLB officials contacted his agent Friday about his availability for the power show in St. Louis, Cruz said he would be happy to participate.

He also knows he faces a daunting task to try and match last year’s performance by a Ranger. Josh Hamilton hit 28 homers in one round in New York. Question: Can he match it?

“No, way,” Cruz said with a laugh. “I can’t do what Josh did. Nobody can do what Josh did.”

Perhaps, but you never know what a guy with the hot hand is capable of until you see him swing. And Friday, the Rangers liked what they saw.