Cruz's walk-off HR caps Rangers rally

ARLINGTON — Nelson Cruz was the last guy anyone would expect to win a game for the Rangers with one swing, which is why it meant so much when he did.

Cruz pulled himself, and his team, out of desperation for at least a day with a walk-off, opposite-field homer in the bottom of the ninth to down the Angels 7-6 on Sunday.

Texas won for the first time in six meetings with the AL West leader. Cruz's homer was only his second hit in his past 24 at-bats.

After he reached out and drove a slider from Scot Shields to right field, Cruz gleefully trotted home, where he was mobbed by equally giddy teammates.

No wonder they were so excited: the Rangers, who came back from three separate deficits, are only 2-22 this year when trailing after five innings.

"It was a huge game for us," said Brad Wilkerson, whose two-run homer tied the game at 6 in the sixth. "You look at any successful team throughout a major league season, and they always have a lot of come-from-behind wins. Whether it be the fight in the club, or just how good they are, they really come up in the clutch situations."

The Rangers continually rallied, with a two-run homer from Ian Kinsler, a solo shot from Hank Blalock and an RBI double from Mark Teixeira providing all their runs before Cruz punctuated the afternoon.

Although Cruz is still hitting a paltry .193, he's hoping his work Sunday is a sign of things to come.

“I don’t think I've lost confidence," Cruz said. "I come here and work with [hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo], I always keep working on my approach at the plate. I don't have a doubt about it, I know I can hit."

Cruz's home run was one of eight in the game, four by each team. Former Ranger Gary Matthews Jr. hit a pair of two-run homers to go along with solo homers by Shea Hillenbrand and Mike Napoli.

Matthews' second homer put Los Angeles up 6-4, but Wilkerson answered and the Rangers got superb work from relievers Joaquin Benoit, Akinori Otsuka and Eric Gagné, who pitched scoreless seventh, eighth and ninth innings.

Benoit worked his way into a bases-loaded jam — and worked the Angels into a fervor when he plunked Matthews in the rear end. But Benoit got out of the inning, retiring three in a row with the bases full.

Otsuka breezed through a perfect eighth, and the Rangers carried a tie into the ninth for the first time this season. Gagné earned his first win as a Ranger after putting two men on with one out.

Had Gerald Laird gotten on base to start the ninth, manager Ron Washington said Cruz would have been ordered to bunt. Fortunately for the Rangers, Cruz got to swing away.

"Hopefully this can get him going," Washington said. "The team needed it also ... if nothing else, just for our psyche."