For the 10th time this season, Adrian Beltre and Josh Hamilton homered in the same game Wednesday night.
The Texas Rangers can only hope it’s not the last chance they get.
While the Rangers beat the Cleveland Indians 5-2 on Wednesday to guarantee they’d lose no ground on teams pursuing them in the AL West and AL home-field advantage races, they did lose three players to injuries.
Beltre, who hit home run No. 32 in the first inning, left with a left shoulder injury after diving for a ball on a spectacular defensive play in the second inning. He played two more innings before coming out of the game and was reluctant to exit at that point, too. He was to undergo an MRI exam Wednesday night or Thursday morning to make sure the injury is not serious.
Hamilton, who hit a ball into the upper deck in the third inning for his 41st home run of the season, left after seven innings with a sore left knee. He’s dealt with knee soreness in the past and has received injections of synthetic lubricating fluid that has eased the discomfort. He’s usually missed no more than one or two games when dealing with the issue.
Further complicating the Beltre situation was that Mike Olt, who replaced him, lasted all of three innings before plantar fasciitis in his right foot flared up while he was running to first base. He limped off the field. His recovery could last the longest. There is no real treatment for plantar fasciitis other than significant rest.
“We’ll piece together what we have and fight with that,” manager Ron Washington said. “Hopefully none of the situations last long. We’re going to play, and we’re going to play with what we’ve got, and we expect to go out there and win. We can’t stop the season.”