When the Texas Rangers batted around in the fourth inning of Wednesday's 9-1 win over the struggling Cleveland Indians it showed just how powerful the Rangers lineup is.
It was a big "WOW".
Ian Kinsler and Mike Napoli both went deep, and Josh Hamilton hit a grand slam in the fourth en route to the Rangers pounding out 12 hits — the seventh straight game to accomplish that feat, which is a club record and the first time an MLB team has done it since 2007.
I mean, David Murphy is in the midst of an unprecedented September run at the plate, and the guy is hitting No. 7 in the lineup. That's just not right.
Nelson Cruz made his first plate appearance since coming off the DL with a pinch-hit appearance in the eighth inning. He struck out, but his return to health is encouraging.
There's Adrian Beltre, whose hit streak is now at 18 games, dating back to before he went on the DL and came off on Sept. 1, and of course, Napoli, who's one home run shy of his career high and one RBI shy of his career high.
To put it simply, the Rangers offense is cooking, and now that it's at full health, it's striking fear into the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees and Detroit Tigers.
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Those teams might have a slight pitching advantage, but with a lineup like the Rangers have, if it stays healthy, they could outslug anyone in the league, including the Philadelphia Phillies, should the Rangers get that far.
