Numbers: Nelson Cruz's two-HR game
Both of Cruz's homers came on sliders away, a pitch and location he's struggled with in recent years.
Entering Saturday, Cruz was hitting .194 and slugging .230 in the last four seasons against sliders away (MLB averages .193, .268). He had swung 334 times and hit just two home runs. He swung at four sliders away Saturday and hit two out. He's only the second player in the last four seasons to hit two home runs on sliders away in a single game (Troy Tulowitzki the other).
It could be yet one more sign that Cruz is starting to figure things out at the plate and is ready to produce some more pop in the middle of the Rangers' lineup.
Richard Durrett
ESPNDallas.com
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Richard Durrett
Richard Durrett joined ESPNDallas.com in September 2009. He writes about colleges, the Dallas Stars and the Texas Rangers. Richard spent nine years at The Dallas Morning News covering the Rangers, Stars, colleges, motorsports and high schools.
Tim MacMahon
Tim MacMahon joined ESPNDallas.com in September 2009. Tim covers the Cowboys and Mavericks. He has covered the local sports scene from high schools to colleges to pros during his six-year tenure at The Dallas Morning News. MacMahon is a graduate of UNT.
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UPCOMING GAMES
| W-L | HM | AW | STK | L10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OAK | 43-30 | 22-12 | 21-18 | W1 | |
| TEX | 39-32 | 20-15 | 19-17 | L1 |
| W-L | HM | AW | STK | L10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OAK | 43-30 | 22-12 | 21-18 | W1 | |
| TEX | 39-32 | 20-15 | 19-17 | L1 |
| W-L | HM | AW | STK | L10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TEX | 39-32 | 20-15 | 19-17 | L1 | |
| STL | 45-26 | 20-13 | 25-13 | L1 |
TEAM LEADERS
| WINS LEADER | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Yu Darvish
|
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| OTHER LEADERS | ||||||||||||
| BA | A. Beltre | .303 | ||||||||||
| HR | N. Cruz | 18 | ||||||||||
| RBI | N. Cruz | 48 | ||||||||||
| R | A. Beltre | 40 | ||||||||||
| OPS | A. Beltre | .857 | ||||||||||
| ERA | Y. Darvish | 2.84 | ||||||||||
| SO | Y. Darvish | 137 | ||||||||||
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