Nelson Cruz And Hamstring At Odds Again

The Rangers managed to batter Angels' co-aces Dan Haren and Jered Weaver over the weekend to reclaim a three game lead over their division foes but didn't escape the series unscathed. Outfielder Nelson Cruz pulled up lame on the basepath Sunday night and left the game. Cruz, playing in his 113th game of the season, was getting dangerously close to his career high 128 games played set in 2009 and his disgruntled hamstring had had enough of that nonsense.

Cruz and his hamstring have been mired in many domestic disputes for years now presumably over the choices the former has made about couches for their Texas abode. There's also the matter of running which Cruz's hamstring is adamantly against and was disappointed it had to bring it up again. Nevertheless, Cruz forced the issue on Sunday after he tried to stretch a hit into a double and his hamstring responded by tightening up as if it was preparing for prison rape.

After some tests, it appears Cruz will miss three weeks with the strain and was injected with platelet-rich plasma to speed the recovery. When reached for comment, Cruz's hamstring yelled out a few obscenities and blamed "Two and a Half Men" creator Chuck Lorre for ruining its acting career. Doctors explained the hamstring was suffering from exhaustion and was heavily doped up by the plasma.

With 28 home runs, Cruz was close to topping his career high 33 in 2009 but the .270/.322/.531 line wasn't exactly stacking up to his .318/.374/.576 production from last year when his hamstring was rumored to be involved in a torrid love affair with Khloe Kardashian.

Beltre Still Broken, Will Miss August

Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre reinjured his hamstring on Saturday during a running session. See? I knew nothing good comes from running. Sitting, you don't get hurt sitting. Beltre has been on the disabled list since July 23 and will miss an additional three weeks after an MRI showed he did more damage to the hamstring.

The new Ranger was having a pretty typical Beltre season in his first year at hitter friendly Arlington Park. He has 20 home runs and a .276/.318/.505 line to go with his dynamic defense at third. Beltre's 3.9 fWAR (Fangraphs wins above replacement) is second on the team behind Ian Kinsler.

The Rangers are clinging to a two game lead over the Angels and the loser of the AL West isn't winning the Wild Card. If the Beltre is out any longer, the Rangers could be on the ropes. Josh Hamilton is back and playing well but Nelson Cruz has only hit the disabled list once this season so the Rangers organization better block off part of their day to knock on wood.

Josh Hamilton Hits The DL After 11 Games

If you had Josh Hamilton in your "first Ranger to hit the disabled list" pool, please step up and collect your prize. Hamilton was injured in a collision with Tigers catcher Victor Martinez in a head first collision at home. The MRI revealed less than pleasant results for the red hot Rangers...

Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said an MRI exam Tuesday afternoon on Josh Hamilton's injured right shoulder revealed a broken bone at the top of his shoulder. The Rangers plan to place Hamilton on the DL and expect him to miss at least six weeks, but are planning for eight.

The reigning AL MVP was off to a good enough start, hitting .316/.395/.395 but with nary a home run. PECOTA wasn't expecting another MVP season for Hamilton, projecting only 22 homers and a .294/.356/.509 line over 515 plate appearances. All of those numbers are now in jeopardy.

The injury is an obvious blow to the Rangers who will have to plug David Murphy into the outfield and recall Chris Davis to be the designated striker-outer. Whatever projection you prefer, replacing a .400-ish wOBA player for two months is a daunting task. Luckily for the Rangers, the other teams in the AL West have their own issues to deal with. But it would make me slightly more optimistic about the Angels chances if it wasn't for their bullpen and lineup.