How will the Texas Rangers replace Nelson Cruz in their lineup?
A-Rod drama aside, that may have been the most prominent question in light of the 50-game suspensions MLB issued to 12 players for using PEDs supplied by the Biogenesis clinic in Miami. The two teams that appeared to be most adversely affected by these suspensions were the Rangers and Detroit Tigers, both among the top playoff contenders in the American League.
The Tigers lost shortstop Jhonny Peralta, whose .305 batting average and .822 OPS were a valued part of the Detroit lineup. But Peralta is not Miguel Cabrera or Prince Fielder. Though the Tigers will miss his offense, they still have their best run producers. General manager Dave Dombrowski also took steps to replace Peralta by trading for shortstop Jose Iglesias, whose stellar defense brings a different sort of value to Detroit's roster.
But the Rangers suffered a more signifcant loss with Cruz's suspension. The 32-year-old outfielder leads the Texas lineup with 27 home runs and 76 RBI. His .841 OPS was second only to third baseman Adrian Beltre among the Rangers' everyday players. Texas GM Jon Daniels didn't acquire any replacement for Cruz in anticipation of his suspension. And no suitable understudy was ready on the bench or in the minors.
When Cruz's suspension was issued at the beginning of this week, the Rangers were already in the middle of the AL pack in runs scored. (Their 482 runs placed them ninth among 15 teams, to be exact.) Losing Cruz certainly wasn't going to help those numbers. The Rangers were also two games behind the Oakland Athletics for first place in the AL West and held only a half-game lead over the Cleveland Indians for the second wild-card playoff spot.
There's never a good time for a team to have its best run producer taken from the lineup. But Cruz left the Rangers at what was arguably a precarious point in their season.
The Indians and Kansas City Royals were on hot streaks and gaining on Texas in the AL wild-card standings. (The Rangers didn't help matters by getting swept in three games at Cleveland at the end of July.) The Baltimore Orioles were also positioned to take advantage of any slip by the Rangers. Additionally, the New York Yankees were still in the picture, and just got Alex Rodriguez back in their lineup.
Fortunately, the schedule presented an opportunity for the Rangers to rack up some wins against division opponents and gain confidence in Cruz's absence. Since that three-game sweep at Cleveland, Texas has won six games against the Los Angeles Angels and taken two of three from the A's.
More importantly, these most recent games have allowed Texas manager Ron Washington to change the way his team scores runs. He's hit the nitrous button for his lineup, unleashing some turbo power on the basepaths.
How will the Texas Rangers replace Nelson Cruz in their lineup? Speed, baby, speed.
In Wednesday night's 10-3 victory over the Angels, the Rangers stole seven bases. Leonys Martin — taking over Cruz's position in right field — notched three steals. Shortstop Elvis Andrus matched him, swiping three bags of his own. Center fielder Craig Gentry added the other stolen base for Texas.
The Rangers did get one home run from Beltre, who's the only consistent power threat remaining in their lineup. It seems likely that opposing teams will pitch around Beltre, giving him fewer good pitches to hit without Cruz batting behind him. That puts pressure on catcher A.J. Pierzynski and first baseman Mitch Moreland, who now have to produce in the fifth and sixth spots in the batting order.
However, there should be less of a burden on the middle-of-the-order run producers if the batters at the top of the lineup continue to get on base and put themselves in scoring position by stealing bases. Driving the ball out of the park like Cruz did won't always be necessary. The Rangers' RBI men just need to put the ball in play.
Martin stole six bases during the past three games versus the Angels, batting .308 (4-for-13). Andrus had five steals and was even more effective with the bat, hitting .538 (7-for-13) in the series. Gentry added two stolen bases, one of them after drawing a walk as a pinch-hitter.
The Rangers scored 23 runs in their three-game sweep of the Angels, while knocking out 35 hits. Combined with the A's losing six of their past eight games, Texas is now in a first-place tie atop the AL West. Any concerns about the Rangers staying in playoff contention have been addressed — and with authority.
(Perhaps making the sweep over the Angels even sweeter for the Rangers and their fans was Josh Hamilton's feeble performance. He went 0-for-12 in three games with six strikeouts, leaving eight men on base.)
Granted, the Angels may not be the strongest competition at this point. They've allowed the third-most runs in the AL and have the second-worst ERA in the league, while allowing the fourth-highest opponents' batting average. The Angels have been one of the 2013 season's biggest disappointments and could finish fourth in their division. But that makes the Halos exactly the sort of team the Rangers should beat up on if they hope to win the AL West or one of the league's two wild-card bids.
Texas has arguably been short-handed offensively all season. The Rangers lost Hamilton and Mike Napoli to free agency, and didn't add a hitter at the trade deadline. (Daniels could still pick up someone like Michael Young or Alex Rios before the Aug. 31 waiver trade deadline, however.) Losing Cruz for the rest of the regular season — and perhaps the playoffs — is just the latest blow to the lineup.
The running game has always been important to Washington. Encouraging aggressiveness on the basepaths has been one of the major differences in the Rangers ascending to one of the elite teams in the AL during his seven years as the team's manager. Having heavy artillery like Hamilton, Cruz, Beltre and Napoli in the lineup over the past few seasons lessened the need for speed on the basepaths. But it's always appeared to be a core philosophy for Washington.
That belief in aggressive baserunning may be paying off best this year, when it's been needed most. The Rangers are fourth in MLB and second in the AL in team stolen bases. Those numbers will surely go up with Cruz out of the lineup, in addition to Martin and Andrus unleashing themselves on the basepaths.
Last year, the Rangers limped into the postseason, losing the AL West to the A's on the final day of the season, settling for a wild-card spot and losing a one-game playoff. But changing the way they play seems to have given this team a boost and could be the difference in Texas playing strong baseball down the stretch and seizing a playoff spot.
Run, Rangers, run.
