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About Last Night: Rangers Josh Hamilton Says He’s Feeling Like It Is 2008 At The Plate

ANAHEIM, Calif. – It hasn’t been just the injuries that have hampered Rangers CF Josh Hamilton this season, it’s been the search for his swing.

He thinks he’s finally found it. And if the results from his first two games back from the DL are any indication, he has.

“I feel like I did last year,” Hamilton said after going 3-for-4 against the Angels in Tuesday’s 8-5 win. “That’s a good feeling. Believe me, it’s a good feeling.”

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Texas Rangers Ticker Notes

First, a big giant thanks to all of you who visited The Corner last night and kept The Depot game blog up and running at full strength even while my computer suffered a huge meltdown, which paled in the comparison to the meltdown I suffered. Nevertheless, you guys played like champs. You adjusted. Thanks for your participation and your support.

From the clubhouse today: LHP Matt Harrison is not going to make his next scheduled start due to soreness in the front of his left shoulder. The Rangers are not yet publicly discussing a DL assignment, but it is a possibility. If they want to, the Rangers could wait as long as next weekend before making a decision on Harrison. …  As we discussed here yesterday (before the computer breakdown), RHP Brandon McCarthy will be pushed back a day to start Saturday. While it gives McCarthy an extra day of rest after his 124-pitch outing at Houston on Sunday, the more significant reasons are because of Harrison’s soreness (which the Rangers were aware of Tuesday) and because it better allows the Rangers to manipulate the roster during Friday’s doubleheader. … GM Jon Daniels said the Game 1 starter for Friday’s doubleheader remains undetermined, but did acknowledge the club could all up either RHP Tommy Hunter or purchase the contract of RHP Doug Mathis. My bet: Hunter gets the start with Mathis available to be added between games as a long reliever. Adding Mathis, however, would require creating room on the 40-man roster. That might require cutting ties with RHP Kris Benson, particularly if he were to pitch – and struggle again – in long relief on Friday.

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The Depot: Your One-Stop Spot For Texas Rangers Notes, Live Game Blog And Beyond (4/10 at Detroit)

A quick reminder on The Depot (or if you can come up with a better name, I’ll happily take it and salute you!): We’ll put our live game blog observations, answers to an occasional question and notes up here. You’ll only have one place to stop rather than multiple posts to search through. Just remember, you’ve got to go the jump and refresh for fresh nuggets.

1o:41 (CDT): I’m told Kid Rock will be part of the Opening Pitch ceremonies. Guess Eminem wasn’t available. I’m also told the first pitch will be thrown by some auto workers. And, you know what, that’s a nice touch. Very weird to land in Detroit and get into my rental car last night … and it was a Kia. Nothing wrong with Kia, but in Detroit?

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Reporters Notebook: Ian Kinsler’s Head-First Approach To Baseball, Josh Rupe’s Sudden Turnaround And More

Photo: R.P. Washburne

SURPRISE, Ariz. - Ian Kinsler had a typical regular season-like game Sunday. And it has nothing to do with the three hits he piled up in a 13-7 win over the Los Angeles Angels.

For Kinsler, a typical performance includes a head-first slide (check), a dive (check) and a hair-raising sprint on the bases (check).

That kind of effort is also partly why Kinsler has yet to compile a full season’s worth of statistics. That kind of effort can make a player more susceptible to dislocations (check), fractures (check) and muscle strains (check, if you consider a sports hernia to be a muscle strain).

In each of his first three years, Kinsler has made a trip of at least four weeks to the DL for one freak injury or another. As a result, Kinsler hasn’t ever played more than 130 games. He risks becoming considered injury prone if the streak of injuries continues.

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Sunday Notebook: Jones Willing To Be A Part-Time Player; Rangers Remain Committed To Chris Davis And More

SURPRISE, Ariz. – Andruw Jones passed perhaps his most significant test of the spring Sunday morning: It was the test of enthusiasm.

He assured the Rangers of his desire to play for the club, even if it is in a part-time role. Jones’ willingness to accept such an assignment may very well push him on to the opening day roster and force Frank Catalanotto out.

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Rangers Notes: Marlon Byrd Flies Free and Easy

SURPRISE, Ariz. - Marlon Byrd gave his surgically-repaired left knee its most strenuous test of the spring Tuesday, which is to say he gave it nary a thought while running from first to third on a lazy single in the Rangers 11-5 win over Cleveland.

It was the first time this spring Byrd has gone from first to third on a base hit, a sign his knee is no longer an issue.  That is a significant stride.

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Sunday Notes: Rangers Unlikely to Toy With Elvis Andrus

The Rangers publicly committed to Elvis Andrus as their shortstop in January when general manager Jon Daniels asked reigning Gold Glove shortstop Michael Young to move to third base.

Then, two days after that drama died down, the Rangers signed 11-time Gold Glove-winning shortstop Omar Vizquel as a potential backup for Andrus.

That leads to this question: In the interest of cost control, might the club send Andrus to the minors to start the season, use Vizquel as the starting shortstop for a month or so and call up Andrus after he’s lost enough major league service time to not qualify for a full year of service? That could delay his eventual eligibility for salary arbitration and essentially push back his free agency by a year.

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