Nelson Cruz (back) leaves game

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ARLINGTON, Texas -- Texas Rangers outfielder Nelson Cruz left Friday's game in the eighth inning with lower back stiffness.

Cruz tried to dive for a fly ball near the right-field line hit by Austin Jackson in the seventh inning and the ball got by him. Jackson ran all the way around the bases for an inside-the-park homer and after Cruz got to the ball and threw it in, he was clutching his back.

He stayed in the game and trotted into shallow right field to try to get to Miguel Cabrera's fly ball to shallow right field a few batters later. Cruz was camped under the ball, but it hit off his glove and dropped for a two-base error.

Once the Rangers came back out for the eighth, Cruz was taken out and Craig Gentry was inserted in center field. That moved Josh Hamilton to left and put David Murphy in right.

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Richard Durrett

ESPNDallas.com

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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.