Cruz hits 40th HR for the second straight season

Seattle Mariners outfielder Nelson Cruz isn't going to win the American League MVP award this season.
Nelson Cruz doesn't concern DeMarco Murray Kids Jersey himself with the number of home runs he hits. Instead, he counts what they can do to help his team win games.
Cruz reached 40 home runs for the second straight season, Felix Hernandez pitched three-hit ball for eight innings and the Seattle Mariners downed the Texas Rangers 5-0 Thursday.
''Numbers are numbers. I like to just focus on games,'' said Cruz, who signed a four-year free agent contract during the offseason. ''What I like to do is help my team win games. They (homers) are going to come. At end of the season, you have time to realize what you did.''
The Rangers were shut out for the second straight day. Their lead for the second AL wild-card spot was cut to one game over idle Minnesota.
Texas missed a chance http://www.nflvikingsofficial.com/Authentic-Matt-Kalil-Jersey to gain on AL West-leading Houston and fell 2 1/2 games behind the idle Astros.
Cruz missed the previous six games because of a strained right quadriceps. He matched his career high for homers set last season with Baltimore, connecting for a two-run shot in a three-run seventh.
Hernandez (17-8) struck out eight and walked four. He tied Houston's Dallas Keuchel for the most victories in the AL.
''I had good mechanics today,'' said Hernandez, who was given an extra day of rest between starts. ''My fastball was good, my sinker was down. My changeup was down. Before it was not moving at all. Now it's down.''
Mitch Moreland, who had two hits for Texas, said Hernandez ''was on his game. When he is like that it is going to be tough.''
''He had everything working for him,'' he said. ''He was getting ahead http://www.nflbillsofficialshop.com/WOMENS_YOUTH_MARIO_WILLIAMS_JERSEY.html, keeping the balls down, throwing every pitch for strikes. His off-speed was on. One of those days it's tough to stand in the box and battle with him when he is on like that.''
Derek Holland (3-2) worked seven innings, allowing all five runs and nine hits.
''I felt like I did a good job,'' Holland said, ''all the way until the last inning. I attacked the zone. The home run pitch to Cruz just came in across the plate. I thought I did a pretty good job of battling with Felix, but he had us under control.''
The Rangers were blanked in back-to-back games for the first time since July 2013 at Cleveland. They have been shut out four times on their 10-game road trip.
Cruz became the fourth different Mariners player to hit at least 40 home runs in a season. Ken Griffey Jr. did it six times and Alex Rodriguez and Jay Buhner had three each. Rodriguez was the last to do it with 41 in 2000.
While he's been successful in the park, Cruz says there's "nothing different" with his approach this season. For the most part, he credits his experience as a player when asked how he's been so successful the last couple years.
“I think experience DeMarcus Ware Elite Jersey helps you to understand what pitchers try to do against you. You have to realize that you don’t have to hit homers every at-bat,” he says. Cruz also credits his coaches for helping him deal with off-speed stuff better this year. "Work in the cage and work with the hitting coaches helped me develop that swing."