Kinsler, Cruz Get Day Off "To Catch Their Breath"
Ian Kinsler and Nelson Cruz are both out of the Rangers' lineup for Thursday's series finale with the Yanks
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Ian Kinsler and Nelson Cruz are both out of the lineup today in the Bronx, in a move that manager Ron Washington hopes will refreshen the two.
“They both need it,” Washington told the team’s official website. “They're both struggling, especially in this series. I want to give them both a day to catch their breath.”
Through the first three games (all losses) of the series, Cruz is 2-for-11 with an RBI, which is bad, but not as bad as Kinsler; the Rangers’ All-Star second baseman, barring a late-game, pinch-hit appearance on Thursday afternoon, will finish the Yankees series 0-for-11 with four strikeouts, a stretch that has dropped his average from .275 to .268.
"It looks like he's a little sluggish," Washington said of Kinsler. "I'm just trying to get him to catch his breath. He's missing pitches that he normally hits. His bat looks a little heavy. I'm going to give him a day off after a night game, and maybe that will rejuvenate him."
