Nelson Cruz set Texas up in the top of the 10th inning, breaking a 2-2 tie with a two-run home run. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan)The hottest hitter in baseball refuses to cool-off to start the second week of the 2010 season. Nelson Cruz went 2-4 on the afternoon, with a home-run, a triple, and two huge late-inning RBI leading the Texas Rangers (4-3) to victory over the Cleveland Indians (2-5). Josh Hamilton singled to left to start off the inning and, after a Vladimir Guerrero pop-out, it was Nellie-Time. Cruz jumped on a 1-0 inside sinker, absolutely crushing it to deep-left field.
"I just feel really comfortable right now," Cruz said. "I was looking for a sinker there and he threw it. In that situation, to put us ahead, it was very exciting."
After Cruz set Texas up with a 4-2 lead going into the bottom of the 10th, newly anointed closer Neftali Feliz knocked the Indians lineup down with a nearly flawless inning. Feliz' fast ball was consistently 100 mph or more on the radar gun and four times it reached 101, including the strike-out pitch thrown right-by Indians' catcher Mike Redmond for the first out of the inning. It was Feliz' first save of the season.
"Feliz didn't look nervous," Manager Ron Washington said. "He got the three-outs we needed."
The inning before, however, didn't go as smoothly for Texas. In the top of the ninth, the Rangers actually loaded the bases with no outs against Cleveland closer Chris Perez. But two Indians' relievers combined to pop out Ryan Garko and induce a Michael Young inning-ending double-play. Frank Francisco then came into the bottom of the ninth and tried his hardest to do what he has done so well all season long - blow the game for the Rangers. But Frankie was bailed out by an amazing catch on a line-shot by Elvis Andrus and some wind-power at the warning track in right-center field that negated two awful fastballs laid out like meatballs down the middle of the plate. Francisco rebounded to strike out the final batter but it was an uneasy feeling watching him almost blow yet another one for Texas.
Rangers' starter Rich Harden settled down after allowing a home-run to Indians' outfielder Shin-Soo Shoo in the first inning, allowed only one more earned run in six innings of work. Another game, another solid outing for a Rangers starter - a great sign that Texas might actually have something good brewing this season.
Borbon/Teagarden Team-Up For Play of the Game
Bottom of the sixth inning, with the Rangers clinging to a 2-2 tie, Julio Borbon and Taylor Teagarden saved a run with fantastic plays by each player. With two outs in the 6th, Cleveland first-baseman Matt LaPorta knocked a single to center field and DH Travis Hafner was looking to score from second-base and break that 2-2 tie. Borbon, however, had other plans as he picked up the ball on a hop and absolutely rifled it to home plate. Teagarden caught the baseball after only one hop and braced himself for the freight train that was about to hit him.
"That's a big guy coming and I thought 'I'm going to get killed here, if Julio makes a good throw, I'm going to get run over, '" Teagarden said.
Hafner hit the Rangers' catcher so hard that he nearly flipped over backwards from the contact and the force of the collision knocked Teagarden's helmet and mask right off of his head. That didn't stop Teagarden from making the play, though, as the home-plate umpire noticed the ball was still in his glove.
When the dust settled, the inning was over and Texas - thanks to Borbon and Teagarden - salvaged the 2-2 tie, subsequently enabling the Rangers to win the game in extra innings.
Whats Next
Texas has a day off Tuesday before taking on the Indians again Wednesday night.
Cleveland has lost four straight games, including this one, and Texas has won three of their last four games overall.
The game starts at 6:05 p.m. and can be seen locally on Fox Sports Southwest.
(Portions of this article were taken from The Associated Press)
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