Take a bow, Nelson Cruz.
Already having homered to give the Rangers their third run in Saturday’s 3-2 victory over the Tigers, Cruz unleashed some more fury Monday, tying the game with a solo bomb in the seventh and then hitting a rare walkoff grand slam in the 11th as the Rangers won 7-3.
Cruz, who was just 1-for-15 in the ALDS against the Rays, has nine homers, seven doubles and 16 RBI in 22 games over the last two postseasons. He was instrumental in the Rangers’ run to the World Series last year, hitting six homers and knocking in 11 runs.
And now Cruz, who went from hitting .318 in 2010 to .263 this year, is hot again. He certainly has to be taken seriously as one of the game’s top sluggers when he’s on. Over the last three seasons, he ranks 11th in baseball in slugging percentage at .534, leaving him just a tad behind guys like Ryan Braun (.548), Prince Fielder (.547) and teammate Josh Hamilton (.546). His production is inflated by playing in Texas and his rate stats probably wouldn’t be as strong anywhere else, but there’s no questioning his power.
One need merely ask Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer and Ryan Perry about that.
