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ARLINGTON, Texas -- Nelson Cruz fit right back in with the Texas Rangers after completing his 50-game drug suspension. The All-Star slugger was reinstated from the restricted list Monday by the Rangers, who immediately put him in their lineup. Cruz batted sixth as the designated hitter for the AL wild-card tiebreaker game against Tampa Bay. "I feel really confident right now," Cruz said before the game. "Im going to enjoy this moment. Happy to be back. Happy to be with my teammates. Its a blessing to see the reception they gave me." Cruz got a warm ovation from Rangers fans when he was introduced before the game, and again when he came to bat for the first time in the second inning. After swinging late on a couple of fastballs from David Price, Cruz lined out to first base. It was the first major league game for Cruz since Aug. 4. That was the day before his suspension stemming from Major League Baseballs investigation of the Biogenesis anti-aging clinic, accused of distributing banned performance-enhancing drugs. Cruz was among 14 players disciplined by MLB this year in the Biogenesis case. Only Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez appealed his suspension. The return of Cruz came eight weeks to the day he was suspended. He has acknowledged publicly that he made "an error in judgment" in the wake of a gastrointestinal infection that wasnt properly diagnosed over a few months before he reported to spring training in 2012. Cruz lost 40 pounds during that time. He has never offered more specifics. After serving his penalty, Cruz is ready to move forward and focus on the field. "I think Ive been doing a pretty good job," he said. "Whatever is going outside of baseball, just keep it outside." Cruz seemed at ease during batting practice, when he hit a few balls over the walls in a session he described as being "OK. It wasnt like great." He was planning to take more cuts in the indoor batting cage. Rays manager Joe Maddon expressed no issue with Cruz being eligible. "My job is to get my players ready. Hes served his punishment, and hes eligible to play. I cant worry about that. I spend most of my energy on things like the bullpen," Maddon said. "We just played A-Rod at home." Texas designated outfielder Joey Butler for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster. The Rangers won their last seven scheduled games of the regular season and needed every one of those victories to force the first wild-card tiebreaker in the majors since 2007. A 163rd regular-season game provided a chance for the return of Cruz. Before flying to Texas on Saturday night, he had been playing games against mostly minor leaguers and prospects in the Arizona Instructional League. Cruz finished 9 for 27 with five doubles, a homer and nine RBIs in eight games in Arizona. Once Cruz told manager Ron Washington that he felt good and was loose, the slugger was back in the lineup. "He said he was ready to go. I didnt talk to anyone in (Arizona). I know Nelson Cruz," Washington said. "If you throw something in the wrong spot, I expect to jump up and down. ... Its the threat, its the presence, its what he does for everybody else just being in that lineup." General manager Jon Daniels said Cruz kept himself ready to play "as good as you can." Daniels said the at-bats got batter during that time and that Cruz was swinging the bat well. "All along, we knew were probably a better club with him available," Daniels said. The Rangers were 29-21 without Cruz, who hit .269 with 27 homers and 76 RBIs in 108 games before his suspension. Washington opted to have Cruz as the designated hitter for his return rather than put him in the outfield. The Rangers stuck with hot-hitting Craig Gentry in left, Leonys Martin in centre and Alex Rios in right. Rios was acquired from the Chicago White Sox four days after Cruz was suspended. "The way those three guys out there have been running balls down, Im not changing that right now," Washington said. "Well use Nelsons bat, and his threat." Cheap Jaguars Jerseys Authentic . Ferrer will play Mikhail Youzhny on Sunday after he defeated Dmitry Tursunov 6-2, 6-4 in an all-Russian semifinal. "Youzhny is a good player," Ferrer said. Jaguars Jerseys China . Jeff Carter had two goals and an assist as the Kings stretched their streak to seven wins in a row with a 4-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday. http://www.cheapjaguarsjerseysauthentic.com/. "This doesnt end anything," he said. "Weve got 10-1 in our last 11 games, and were going home in first place. We just have to keep playing the way we are right now. Wholesale Jaguars Jerseys .Y. -- Mike Zigomaniss goal at 5:53 of the third period stood up as the winner as the Rochester Americans hung on to defeat the visiting Hamilton Bulldogs 3-2 on Saturday in American Hockey League action. Cheap Jacksonville Jaguars Jerseys .B. -- Canadian pairs skaters Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford went from elated to frustrated in the span of a few minutes. ALAMEDA, Calif. -- The Oakland Raiders got some good news in free agency Thursday, one day after voiding top target Rodger Saffolds contract because of a bad shoulder. The Raiders signed defensive end Justin Tuck and linebacker LaMarr Woodley to two-year deals in an effort to bolster their pass rush. ESPN reported that Tuck will be paid $11 million and Woodleys deal is worth up to $12 million. The two pass rushers have combined for 117.5 career sacks, reached double figures in a season seven times and have won three Super Bowl titles in their careers. Tuck joins the Raiders following nine seasons with the New York Giants during which he helped the team win two Super Bowl titles. Tuck has made two Pro Bowls and has 60.5 career sacks, 20 forced fumbles and six fumble recoveries in 127 career games with New York. "Last week, I absolutely did not see it coming," Tuck said. "It wasnt necessarily on my radar at that point in time, but everything accelerated pretty quickly, and Im excited. I really am. I like the direction that this team is talking about going in, and I just want to be a part of it." Woodley, 29, had 57 sacks in seven seasons in Pittsburgh and helped the Steelers win it all following the 2008 season. Woodley struggled with injuries the past three seasons but was still an effective rusher when healthy. He ended last season on injured reserve with a calf injury and the Steelers released him because of his high salary. After averaging 11 sacks per season from 2008-11, Woodley has only nine sacks in 24 games the past two years. He did have eight quarterback hits and 24 hurries and was one of the most efficient pass rushers last season, according to Pro Football Focus. Woodley played linebacker in Pittsburghs 3-4 defence but is also able to play defensive end in Oaklands four-man front. The Raiders need help on their pass rush after losing last years leading sacker and most consistent defender, LaMarr Houston, to Chicago in free agency. The other three starting defensive linemen -- Pat Sims, Vance Walker and Jason Hunter -- are also free agents. Tuck, who turns 31 this month, was rated as the ninth best pass rushing defensive eend by Pro Football Focus last season when he had 11 sacks, 12 quarterback hits and 44 hurries.dddddddddddd Oakland has not had a player reach double figures in sacks since Derrick Burgess and Warren Sapp both did it in 2006. "Everyone talks about once you turn 30, its all downhill," Tuck said. "I dont believe in that. I dont look at myself in that regard. I feel like I have a lot of great football left in me." The Raiders have now made three free-agent additions this week, having previously signed right tackle Austin Howard to a five-year, $30 million deal. Running back Darren McFadden also agreed to re-sign with the Raiders on a one-year deal worth up to $4 million. Saffold was expected to be in the mix before the Raiders were scared off because of a shoulder injury and voided the five-year, $42.5 million contract that included $21.5 million in guarantees. Howard and Saffold were supposed to help anchor a rebuilt offensive line but now Oakland still needs to look for a left tackle to replace the departed Jared Veldheer. "We were excited about maybe getting the chance to play together," Howard said. "But thats the way this business works. Hes a tremendous guy, a tremendous athlete. I believe he really would have fit in well here and we would have been really excited to play together. Thats how it goes. Its very unfortunate." Oakland was burned last off-season by the acquisition of two players with existing injuries. Quarterback Matt Flynn was acquired despite a shoulder injury and he lacked arm strength before being released early in the season. Oakland used a first-round pick on cornerback D.J. Hayden, who had a near-fatal heart injury in college. Hayden missed the entire off-season and was limited in training camp because of the injury and struggled his rookie year before a sports hernia injury sidelined him for the season in November. The Raiders could fill the left tackle void with last years second-round pick, Menelik Watson, who played sparingly as a rookie because of injuries, a draft pick or with a second-tier free agent after most of the top available left tackles have signed elsewhere. 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