After falling back into the mix of the American League West, the reinforcements have finally arrived for the Texas Rangers, and that has them on the rise once again. After giving up ground to the Los Angeles Angels and Seattle Mariners over the past couple of weeks, the Rangers are ready to build another cushion atop the AL West with superstars Josh Hamilton and Nelson Cruz back in the lineup. The defending AL champion have hovered around the .500 mark over the past couple of weeks, but with the 2011 Belmont betting race around the corner it is time for Texas to take off once again.

Hamilton returned after nearly a sports betting month-and-a-half off to hit a home run in his first at-bat, and hit a double later on to finish 2-for-4 in his first game back, a 4-0 shutout win over the Chicago White Sox. Meanwhile, Cruz hit a two-run home run in his third at-bat after missing almost three weeks. Both hits came with two outs, and it is that ability to perform under pressure that is what has made Texas such a strong contender the past couple of years. Not to mention another solid outing for starter Alexei Ogando, who threw nine solid innings of shutout ball with six strikeouts on the night. With their two best hitters back in the lineup the Rangers are ready to make a surge, and with a balanced pitching staff it might not be long before they are back at the top of the AL.