With Hamilton on the way, Moreland powers Rangers with two homers

Josh Hamilton wasn’t needed Monday night, with Mitch Moreland again supplying the power for a Texas Rangers lineup that needed a game like the one it had at Camden Yards.

Moreland hit two of the Rangers’ four homers, tying their season-high, and the struggling Shin-Soo Choo had three of their 14 hits en route to an 8-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles to open a four-game series.

The Rangers scored eight runs total in their three weekend games at Toronto.

“That’s the type of offense that we know our club can be,” manager Jeff Banister said. “It was nice to see the guys break out of it, end especially some guys that have been struggling.”

Hamilton will be back Tuesday, Banister said, returning from the disabled list with the goal of managing his strained left hamstring by playing until the All-Star break with an effort level of 80 to 85 percent.

The hammy still bothers Hamilton when he takes a full stride, so he worked here Monday on shortening his stride and is also toying with the idea of allowing the 50-50 balls to fall in for hits rather than going all out for the out.

He doesn’t sound like a player who should be coming off the DL, yet he steadfastly believes that the can be a productive player, even a center fielder, for the hanging-round-.500 Rangers.

So does Banister, who, rain or shine, is putting Hamilton in the Rangers’ outfielder Tuesday.

“Am I concerned that he’s ready? No,” Banister said. “Through what our medical staff has given me and what Josh has talked to me about in our conversations, I believe that he’s ready.

“Every player in the clubhouse this time of year is managing something. Each one of these guys has to be able to manage that, communicate with us and be upfront and honest when they need a day.”

The Rangers have 11 games remaining until the All-Star break and two off days next week. They also have three struggling outfielders — Choo, Leonys Martin and Ryan Rua — and fourth if Joey Gallo is no longer considered a third baseman.

Choo entered in a 3-for-32 skid but collected two singles and a two-run homer, his first circuit clout in 23 games. Martin had a hit that left him 4 for 47 in his past 14 games.

Gallo struck out three times before a bases-loaded triple in the seventh, but he’s only 7 for 47 with 27 strikeouts in his past 14 games. Rua has been glued to the bench since leaving Saturday’s game after a third strikeout and is only 4 for 27 since being activated from the disabled list June 19.

Gallo and Rua look like the leading candidates to be cleared off the roster for Hamilton, though Banister said that the Rangers won’t necessarily swap an outfielder for an outfielder.

Someone else will have to go later in the week when Delino DeShields, who was off Monday while on rehab assignment with Triple A Round Rock for a strained left hamstring, is activated from the DL.

“When you look at the structure of the lineup, you want to look at the value that each guy adds to the ballclub and what they provided in a winning scenario,” Banister said. “Each one of those guys out there adds value.”

Hamilton played center field while rehabbing with Round Rock and said his hamstring while playing the field “is comfortable to a certain extent.”

“The biggest thing for me is going into the All-Star break playing a few games under control, whether it be 80 percent or 85 percent and just managing it and being smart,” Hamilton said. “That’s really how I’m thinking about doing it right now.”

Moreland’s sixth career two-homer game and homers by Carlos Corporan and Choo backed Wandy Rodriguez (5-3), who allowed 10 runners in five-plus innings but yielded only one run.

He did his best pitching in the fifth after exchanging words with plate umpire John Hirschbeck following a walk that filled the bases. Adam Jones followed with a single to make it 5-1, but Rodriguez struck out Chris Davis and got Delmon Young to fly out to Choo in right-center.

Spencer Patton, Keone Kela, Tanner Scheppers and Sam Freeman allowed only two base runners over the final four innings to give the Rangers only their second win in the past nine games.

But they won the first one against the Orioles and will get Hamilton back Tuesday.

This story was originally published June 29, 2015 at 10:11 PM with the headline "With Hamilton on the way, Moreland powers Rangers with two homers."