Josh Hamilton a little rusty in return to Texas Rangers
Hitting fifth and starting in left field, Josh Hamilton made his improbable return to Texas Rangers on Monday and is looking to rediscover the All-Star form he displayed there for the better part of five seasons from 2008 to 2012.
Hamilton struck out swinging in his first plate appearance in his second go-around with the Rangers against Cleveland Indians starter Shaun Marcum after Marcum had given up back-to-back first inning home runs to Prince Fielder and Adrian Beltre.
Hamilton’s first test in left field came in the second inning, and he misplayed a ball hit his way.
In the top of the third Hamilton stepped to the plate with two-on and two-outs. He worked the count full against Marcum and took a pitch low-and-outside to draw a walk. Hamilton came around to score on an Elvis Andrus double two batters later.
At-bat No. 3 finished just like the first one, with a swinging strikeout, though this time it was left-hander Nick Hagadone that set Hamilton aside in the fifth.
Hamilton reached base for a second time in the seventh. He hit a weak grounder right back to Indians pitcher Zach McAllister who fielded the ball but threw it away and Hamilton got to second on the error.
In the end, Texas won a sloppy 10-8 game as Hamilton finished 0-for-3 at the plate with two strikeouts, a walk, and a run scored. The rust was obvious, as he struggled with Marcum’s offspeed pitches early and Hagadone’s heat late, didn’t make great contact, and he didn’t have his timing quite right in the outfield.
[Woah, The Stew has a podcast now?! Yep, you should listen.]
The Rangers are playing some better baseball of late – they’re now 15-9 in May and have won six straight – and they hope Hamilton can help them make a push up the AL West standings. The 34-year-old outfielder looked good during his rehab assignment as he worked his way back from offseason shoulder surgery, though he’s not expected to be an everyday player for Texas right away.
His two uneven seasons with the Angels are now officially in the rearview mirror. It seemed an impossibility when he left Texas after the 2012 season and signed a five-year, $125 million contract with the Angels, but it’s 2015 and Josh Hamilton is a Texas Ranger again.
More MLB coverage from Yahoo Sports:
– – – – – – –
Israel Fehr is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter. Follow @israelfehr
