Texas wins on Cruz control
Coeur d'Alene Press | UPDATED 13 years, 9 months AGO
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) - Home runs are a regular thing for Nelson Cruz, and a rarity for Texas teammate Elvis Andrus.
Cruz became the third player in major league history to homer in the first four games of a season, Andrus hit his first home run in 705 at-bats and the Rangers remained one of four unbeaten teams in the big leagues with a 6-4 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Monday night.
"We've got a solid offense," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "Anybody in the lineup can get you. Tonight Elvis got us going. And Cruz came back and got another one. ... Anytime you've got that lineup, that's what it's all about."
Cruz went to the plate in the fourth inning guessing he'd get a first-pitch curve from Seattle starter Erik Bedard. Instead, Bedard threw something else off speed and Cruz adjusted with a drive over the center-field fence to give him four of Texas' 13 homers this season.
"In that at-bat I was thinking, hit the ball through the hole (at) second base hard, because he was throwing that curveball," Cruz said "I was hoping he would throw that so I could hit it the other way, but he threw me a changeup and I turned on it."
Cruz joined Willie Mays (1971) and Mark McGwire (1998) as the only players to go deep in each of their first four games of a season.
Andrus, who didn't homer last season, hit the seventh of his career off a cutter with nobody on in the first. When he ran down the dugout steps, his teammates remained seated with blank expressions. Washington was the first to offer congratulations, followed by the rest of the team.
"I knew they were going to do something. I knew they were going to plan something because it's been a little while since I hit the last one," Andrus said about the silent treatment.
Derek Holland pitched six effective innings for Texas (4-0), off to its best start since opening 7-0 in 1996. The Rangers were coming off a three-game weekend sweep of Boston.
Baltimore (4-0), Philadelphia and Cincinnati (both 3-0) are the other undefeated teams.
Holland (1-0) was given the No. 4 spot in the rotation out of spring training and he cemented his role by allowing three runs and seven hits with five strikeouts and one walk.
Neftali Feliz worked a perfect ninth for his first save.
Bedard (0-1) allowed five runs - three earned - and four hits over five innings in his first start in 20 months.
Bedard gave up two homers, but he struck out three and walked two in a positive step in his comeback from a series of shoulder injuries.
Seattle Texas
ab r h bi ab r h bi
ISuzuki rf 5 0 1 0 Kinsler 2b 3 1 0 0
Figgins 3b 4 0 0 1 Andrus ss 4 1 1 1
Bradly lf 4 2 3 0 Hamltn lf 4 0 1 1
Cust dh 3 1 0 0 ABeltre 3b 4 0 0 0
Smoak 1b 4 0 2 1 MiYong dh 4 1 2 0
Olivo c 4 0 2 2 N.Cruz rf 3 1 2 1
Lngrhn cf 4 0 0 0 Napoli 1b 2 1 0 0
Ryan ss 3 0 0 0 Torreal c 4 1 0 0
AKndy ph 1 0 0 0 Borbon cf 3 0 1 2
JWilson 2b 4 1 2 0
Totals 36 4 10 4 Totals 31 6 7 5
Seattle 000 210 010 - 4
Texas 120 111 00x - 6
E-I.Suzuki (1). DP-Seattle 1. LOB-Seattle 6, Texas 5. 2B-I.Suzuki (1), Bradley (2), Smoak (3), J.Wilson (1), Hamilton (2), Mi.Young (2). 3B-Borbon (2). HR-Andrus (1), N.Cruz (4). SB-J.Wilson (2), Kinsler (1).
IP H R ER BB SO
Seattle
Bedard L,0-1 5 4 5 3 2 3
Pauley 1 1 1 1 2 0
Laffey 2 2 0 0 0 0
Holland W,1-0 6 7 3 3 1 5
O'Day H,1 1 1 0 0 0 1
Rhodes H,2 1 2 1 1 0 1
Feliz S,1-1 1 0 0 0 0 1
WP-Laffey. PB-Olivo.
Umpires-Home, Ed Rapuano; First, Brian O'Nora; Second, Alfonso Marquez; Third, Ed Hickox.
T-2:48. A-37,618 (49,170).