ARLINGTON, Texas — Backup infielder Andres Blanco is among five players that the American League champion Texas Rangers outrighted off their 40-man roster after each cleared waivers.

The Rangers also outrighted infielder Esteban German and right-handers Omar Beltre, Eric Hurley and Merkin Valdez on Wednesday.

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Where: Rangers Ballpark at Arlington.

When: Tuesday through Thursday.

TV/radio: SportsTime Ohio for all three games, ESPN Wednesday; WTAM AM/1100.

Pitching matchups: Justin Masterson (11-9, 3.01) vs. LHP Matt Harrison (11-9, 3.50) Tuesday at 8:05 p.m.; LHP David Huff (2-4, 3.05) vs. LHP Derek Holland (13-5, 4.12) Wednesday at 7:05 p.m. and RHP Fausto Carmona (6-15, 5.18) vs. RHP Alexi Ogando (12-8, 3.71) Thursday at 8:05 p.m.

Season series: The Indians are 1-6 against Texas. Texas leads, 231-188, overall.

Indians update: Just split a four-game series with Chicago, but have lost seven of their last 11. They’re hitting .202 (47-for-233) as a team against the Rangers and have been outscored, 42-23. Frank Herrmann is the only Tribe pitcher to beat the Rangers this year.

Rangers update: They’ve won six of their last 10, but can’t shake the second-place Angels in the AL West. Rangers are hitting .294 (75-for-255) against the Indians and Elvis Andrus at .414 (12-for-29) with nine RBI is one of the reasons. Holland and Ogando are each 1-0 against the Tribe this year.

Injuries: Indians – RHP Josh Tomlin (right elbow), OF Michael Brantley (right hand), RHP Carlos Carrasco (right elbow), OF Trevor Crowe (right shoulder) and OF Shin-Soo Choo (left side) are on the disabled list. 3B Jack Hannahan (left calf) is day to day. Rangers: OF Julio Borbon (left ankle), OF Nelson Cruz (left hamstring), RHP Darren O’Day (right shoulder), RHP Mason Tobin (right elbow), RHP Brandon Wells (right shoulder) are on the disabled list. Cruz could be activated Tuesday.

Next: Indians start 10-game trip Thursday with four-game series against White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field.

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ARLINGTON — Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington stood up from his office chair and started wildly shak-ing his knees back and forth.

While exaggerating how nervous he might be about the AL West race with the Los Angeles Angels, the division-leading manager and his team know things will be much tighter down the stretch this season.

They already are.

“Think about it. If you’ve got a seven-game lead, of course you’re more comfortable,” Washington said after set-tling back into his chair. “But that doesn’t mean that panic sets in.”

Texas (76-59) took a three-game lead into its off day Monday, after playing 17 consecutive days with only one other break since Aug. 1. There are 27 regular-season games left, the last three at Los Angeles in four weeks.

“They’re not going away. They’re a good team. Everybody knows that,” second baseman Ian Kinsler said. “We didn’t expect them to do that last year, it was just kind of luck of the draw.”

At the same point last season before the Rangers won their first AL pennant, they had an eight-game division lead. That never got smaller than seven and they clinched the division title with eight games left.

The Rangers found out Monday they will be without slugging right fielder Nelson Cruz for about three weeks be-cause of another hamstring injury. An MRI revealed a grade 1 strain for Cruz, who got hurt running out a double in Sunday night’s 9-5 victory over Los Angeles.

Cruz missed 51 games last season because of three different stints on the disabled list with issues with both ham-strings. He was on the DL for 17 games earlier this year because of a right quadriceps strain.

Texas went through most of the final month of the regular season last year without AL MVP Josh Hamilton and Michael Young, though both got back for the playoffs.

Before rallying Sunday night against Angels ace Jered Weaver, Texas had lost seven of 10 games. The division gap would have been trimmed to a single game without that comeback.

Their losing stretch began with a 2-1 loss at Los Angeles on Aug. 18, when Texas was three outs away from a four-game sweep and a season-high division lead of eight games. But Mark Trumbo hit a game-ending two-run homer.

“We had a hiccup, had some bumps in our starting rotation, had some things out the bullpen that didn’t work. We had some days where we didn’t put the runs on the board,” Washington said. “It happens. Every team in the game is going through it. We just hit it right now.”

At the same time, the Angeles had a season-best six-game winning streak. They won seven of eight before their last scheduled game at Rangers Ballpark this season.

The Rangers have been alone atop the AL West since July 6, when they were early in a 12-game winning streak.

Boston took three of four at Texas in a potential playoff preview last week. The Red Sox lost the opener 4-0, but then won 11-5, 13-2 and 6-0. The Rangers rebounded to win two of three against Los Angeles.

The Rangers go to Fenway Park this weekend after wrapping up their 10-game homestand with three against Tampa Bay. Texas plays 15 of its last 27 games on the road.

“We’ve been grinding, battling lately,” Young said. “We’ll gladly take this off day and get ready for the last stretch. We like where we’re at. We’ve been down this road before so we know what it takes to win.”

Young, the longest-tenured Ranger in his 11th season, asked to be traded last winter when the team acquired All-Star third baseman Adrian Beltre and said the plan was to use Young primarily as a designated hitter. Young stayed and has responded with one of his best seasons.

As of Monday, Young was second in the majors with a .336 batting average and 11th with his team-best 87 RBIs.

With Beltre missing the last 35 games because of a left hamstring injury, Young has been mostly at third base.

Beltre was scheduled to begin a rehab assignment for Triple-A Round Rock on Monday, and could be back before the Rangers go to Boston this weekend.

Hamilton and Elvis Andrus snapped out of extended slumps with three hits each Sunday night. A pitch after An-drus had an RBI triple, Hamilton hit a tying two-run homer. Hamilton later drove home the go-ahead run with a single in the seventh.

“Our team, we like our position for sure,” Andrus said. “We have way more experience. Everybody, including myself and our pitching, is much different. We see a lot of good things, a lot of positive things. We just have to con-tinue to play hard.”

After that much-needed break before the stretch.

– Stephen Hawkins

Rangers’ Cruz expected out 3 weeks with hamstring

ARLINGTON — Texas slugger Nelson Cruz is expected to miss about three weeks with another hamstring injury.

The AL West-leading Rangers said an MRI on Monday revealed a grade 1 strain of Cruz’s left hamstring. The right fielder will get an injection from team physician Dr. Keith Meister that is intended to stimulate the healing process.

Cruz got hurt when running out a double in Sunday night’s 9-5 victory over the chasing Los Angeles Angles.

Cruz missed 51 games last season because of three stints on the disabled list with issues with both hamstrings. He was on the DL for 17 games earlier this year because of a strained right quadriceps muscle.

In 113 games this season, Cruz is hitting .270 with a team-leading 28 home runs and 84 RBIs.

The Rangers were off Monday, but were expected to add another outfielder before Tuesday’s game against Tampa Bay. The addition could be Cuban outfielder Leonys Martin from Triple-A Round Rock.

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Published: Monday, May 23, 2011 at 6:01 a.m.

Last Modified: Monday, May 23, 2011 at 11:21 p.m.

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ARLINGTON, Texas — When the Texas Rangers were struggling to score runs, there was always the anticipation that AL MVP Josh Hamilton and slugger Nelson Cruz were close to coming back.

Finally on Monday, both big boppers were activated from the disabled list and in the Rangers’ lineup together for the first time since April 12, the day Hamilton broke a bone in his upper right arm trying to score on a headfirst slide.

Hamilton wasted no time getting back in the swing of things. He homered off White Sox starter John Danks in the first inning.

“I think this is pretty much our first crack at really having our team, really a chance to build some momentum offensively,” Michael Young said. “Something we’ve been looking for for a long time, so hopefully we can get going now.”

Hamilton was the designated hitter, batting third, for the opener of a home series Monday night against the Chicago White Sox. Cruz was playing left field and hitting sixth.

Their return was a welcome boost for the AL West-leading Rangers, who had lost three of their past four games. They scored a total of five runs in that span.

“Physically, I feel good. Just ready to roll,” Hamilton said. “My timing feels good, cage work has been good, batting practice has been good, and the games down there, I felt like I got better and better as the games went on.”

Hamilton and Cruz wrapped up their minor league rehab assignments with three games last weekend at Triple-A Round Rock after starting last week at Double-A Frisco.

Cruz was 7 of 22 overall in six rehab games with home runs in each of his three games for Round Rock. Hamilton homered twice in his five minor league games as the DH.

“My timing, my approach is right. I feel like it’s there,” Cruz said. “It’s amazing how frustrating it can get, watch the games and know maybe you can do something about it. … I can’t wait to go out there and see what we can do to help the team.”

Cruz hadn’t played for the Rangers since coming out early from a game May 3 at Seattle with a strained right quadriceps.

Texas also recalled right-hander Yoshinori Tateyama from Triple-A Round Rock. The 35-year-old reliever from Japan was looking to make his major league debut. He had a 2.14 ERA in 14 appearances at Triple-A with 26 strikeouts and four walks in 21 innings.

To make room on their 25-man roster, the Rangers optioned first baseman Chris Davis, rookie right-hander Cody Eppley and catcher Taylor Teagarden to Round Rock.

The Rangers were 9-1 before Hamilton got hurt in Detroit. They went 15-22 without him, including losing the game when he got hurt in the first inning. He returned with Texas holding a half-game division lead over the Los Angeles Angels.

When Hamilton got hurt, the Rangers expected him to be out six to eight weeks. His return came one day short of six weeks and on the same night of a promotional giveaway at Rangers Ballpark recognizing his 2010 MVP season.

“Yeah, just in time for Hamilton figurine night,” he said. “It looked kind of terrible – they keep hiding my face.”

The figurines feature Hamilton making a catch with his arm extended in front of him.

Texas averaged just more than three runs per game in the 17 games Hamilton and Cruz were both on the DL. The Rangers were held to two runs or less eight times.

“It’s obviously a little bit easier when you’ve got two guys like that in the lineup,” Ian Kinsler said. “We just need to continue to play well, and hopefully this will give a little shot in the arm.”

Before getting hurt, Hamilton was hitting .333 in 11 games without a home run. Cruz was hitting .219 with seven homers and 18 RBIs in his first 30 games with Texas.

Last year, Hamilton hit a major league-leading .359 with 32 homers and 100 RBIs despite missing most of the final month of the regular season with broken ribs. He rolled his ankle and stumbled into the wall after making a catch on the warning track in Minnesota.

There were two stints on the disabled list in 2009 after separate wall-crashing catches.

Hamilton will DH for a few games with the Rangers before returning to the outfield. He said he will continue to play hard and try to be smart.

“I did that last year, and I mean, I’m going to answer these questions the rest of my career until I get 40 pounds heavier and can’t run at all, and only swing. … I know how to play one way,” he said. “When you’re in action, you’re in the midst of doing something you need to do to help the team win, all that goes out the window and you just think about doing that.

“The season is getting later. I’d like to stay in there for the rest of the year, but I can’t say I will be,” he said. “A play might come up where I go after it hard like I normally do and something might happen. I can’t not play hard.”

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Read More: Josh Hamilton (LF – TEX), Texas Rangers

The Texas Rangers haven’t scored more than five runs in any of their last ten games, averaging 2.8 runs during that stretch. So if there’s anything more welcome than one of their sluggers returning from the disabled list, it’s two of them coming back from the disabled list on the same day. The Rangers activated Josh Hamilton and Nelson Cruz on Monday, significantly upgrading 22 percent of their lineup.

T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com notes that the Rangers optioned Taylor Teagarden to make room for one of the sluggers, while Lone Star Ball attempts to figure out who else is going down:

It may be that the Rangers are evaluating whether Endy Chavez’s hamstring issue is such that he will need to be placed on the 15 day disabled list. Mitch Moreland, as well, has been having hamstring issues, and it could be that the Rangers may need to make a move with him. Chris Davis and Craig Gentry are the other two likely candidates to be optioned to make room for Hamilton and Cruz.

After losing Hamilton, the Rangers went 15-21. While that can’t be completely attributed to losing last year’s MVP, his return along with Cruz’s gives the Rangers the lineup with which they started the season, and that team was almost unbeatable. Cruz was off to a bit of a slow start before his injury, hitting .219/.303/.438 over 105 at-bats, while Hamilton hit .333/.409/.462 in 38 at-bats before his fateful scramble towards home.

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SURPRISE, Ariz. — Starting pitcher Tommy Hunter could miss six weeks with a Grade II right groin strain and will likely start the season on the disabled list, the Texas Rangers announced Friday afternoon.

“I can’t do anything about it,” Hunter said. “I can’t help the team on the disabled list. I want to be there Opening Day and I’m not going to. I just have to get healthy and get back out there. It’s tough.”

Rangers assistant general manager Thad Levine said the club would have to meet to determine who ends up in the rotation, with Michael Kirkman and Dave Bush being the leading internal candidates to take Hunter’s spot.

Levine said he didn’t expect the injury to change the decision to put Neftali Feliz in the bullpen as the closer.

Hunter is scheduled to fly back to Arlington this weekend to have a blood-platelet injection in an effort to speed up his recovery. He said he did some exercises in the pool and didn’t think it felt as bad as the groin injury that kept him out a couple of months in 2009.

Hunter, 24, suffered the injury during the third inning of Thursday’s game against the Cincinnati Reds. He said he felt something on his third pitch to outfielder Drew Stubbs. After his next pitch, manager Ron Washington, pitching coach Mike Maddux and assistant athletic trainer Kevin Harmon came out to the mound to check on him.

Hunter was taken out of the game after allowing five runs on six hits in two-plus innings.

Just hours before the game, Hunter was named to the rotation along with C.J. Wilson, Colby Lewis, Derek Holland and Matt Harrison. Kirkman had already been optioned to Triple-A Round Rock (Texas) on Thursday.

Hunter has struggled this spring with a 10.97 ERA. But he earned his rotation spot based on his track record, which included a 13-4 record and a 3.73 ERA in 128 innings last season.

This is the third consecutive spring in which Hunter has had an injury derail his hopes of starting the season on time. He injured his groin in 2009 and was recalled for a spot start in late May and then returned in late June for the final three-plus months of the season.

Last year, he was expected to be in the rotation when an oblique strain late in camp forced him to the disabled list and then to the minors. He came up in June and stayed with the big league club for the duration of 2010 and into the postseason.

Richard Durrett covers the Rangers for ESPNDallas.com.

Follow Richard Durrett on Twitter: @espn_durrett

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