With the Texas Rangers' 2013 season long-gone in the rear-view, let's take a look at some of the season's defining moments, both good and bad, in a season that ultimately fell short of the Rangers' expectations.
Moment: Nelson Cruz was suspended for the remaining 50 games of the regular season, which immediately forced an identity change to the Rangers' lineup.
When/Where: Aug. 5, Oakland/Anaheim
What: In the midst of a West Coast road trip, the Rangers learned the fate of slugger Nelson Cruz, as he was popped with a 50-game suspension for his involvement in the Biogeneis PED scandal, taking a big chunk of an already punchless lineup out of the equation.
What ensued was a stretch in which the Rangers won eight of their last nine games, and they did it by playing small ball, being aggressive on the bases and finding ways to score runs without the long ball. In a three game series against the Angels in Anaheim, coming off the Cruz suspension, the Rangers stole 13 bases in the final two games of the series, including six by Leonys Martin and five from Elvis Andrus. They scored 23 runs in the three games and showed they could win games in other ways, even without their home run leader.
Next up: Beaten by the bad
Previous: Yu's near-perfecto, Statement sweep, Walkoff throwout, St. Louis Sweep, Tribal Sweep, Walkoff Wins
