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ARLINGTON, Texas -- Nelson Cruz fit right back in with the Texas Rangers after completing his 50-game drug suspension. JMarcus Webb Raiders Jersey . 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." Malcolm Smith Raiders Jersey . Manuel was offered a position the day he was fired. He accepted earlier this week and the team made the announcement Friday. Keith McGill Raiders Jersey . - After leading the Saints to a fourth playoff appearance in five seasons, Drew Brees expressed confidence in the direction of his team and, perhaps more importantly, showed a willingness to listen to contract proposals if the team needs his help getting under the NFLs salary cap. http:///...anda-raiders-jersey/ . -- Patrick Reed got an early start in golf.SAN DIEGO -- Tiger Woods was right. The South Course at Torrey Pines is playing about as tough as it did for the U.S. Open in 2008. But thats the only similarity. Woods won that U.S. Open. He wont even have a tee time in the final round at the Farmers Insurance Open. Gary Woodland used power to his advantage Saturday -- oddly enough, everywhere but on the par 5s -- to pick up five birdies in his round of 2-under 70 that gave him a one-shot lead over Jordan Spieth and Marc Leishman going into a final day that wont include Woods. Instead of getting back into the tournament, the defending champion and eight-time winner at Torrey Pines delivered a shocking performance. Woods went seven straight holes making bogey or worse and wound up with a 79, matching his worst score on American soil. Woods left town without speaking to reporters and with an "MDF" next to his name, which probably should have been "OMG." Thats the PGA Tours acronym for "made the cut, did not finish." Because more than 78 players advanced to the weekend, there was a 54-hole cut for top 70 and ties. Only one other player, club pro Michael Block, had a worse score than Woods. "You get going south on this golf course, you can definitely put up some numbers in a hurry," Woodland said when he heard about Woods score. "I dont think hes too concerned about it." Theres plenty for everyone to be concerned about at Torrey Pines -- a beast of a course, thick rough, rock-hard greens, and nearly two dozen players so close to the lead that Sunday could be wide open. Woodland was at 8-under 208. It was the highest 54-hole score to lead this tournament since Dave Rummells at 4-under 212 in 1993. Spieth had a one-shot lead to start the third round and it was gone quickly. He missed a 30-inch par putt on the opening hole and took a double bogey on No. 5. His biggest putt might have been a 6-footer for par on the 14th, and Spieth looked confident the rest of the way to salvage a 75. Leishman had a relatively boring round of 72 on a gorgeous day along the Pacific -- one birdie, one bogey, 16 pars. That might be what it takes on this monster of a course that features rough that might even make the USGA blush. "If you let bogeys worry you on that golf course, its going to be a pretty long day," Leishman said. "You dont have to do a whole lot wrong to have a bogey." The average score on the South through three rounds was 74.24, compared with 74.97 during the U.S. Open. And keep in mind, the field for the Farmers Insurance Open is almost entirely PGA Tour or European Tour players. San Diego native Pat Perez, who used to work the practice range as a teenager during this event, salvaged a 72 and was two shots behind with Morgan Hoffman (72). C.J. Wilson Raiders Jersey. Ryo Ishikawa had a 69 and was in a large group at 5-under 211 that included Nicolas Colsaerts (75) and Andres Romero of Argentina, whose 67 was the best score of the day. "When you play with Gary, who hits it 40 yards farther than I do, it doesnt look that hard," Perez said. "Where he hits it is unbelievable. But it was a lot harder today." Twenty-two players were separated by four shots going into Sunday. Ottawas Brad Fritsch shot a 72, and is three back at 211. Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., carded a 69, and is four back. Everything was in place for a good show except for the tours two biggest stars. In the first network telecast of the year -- and the first Sunday in golf without going against the NFL playoffs -- Woods was out of the tournament and Phil Mickelson pulled out Friday night after making the cut because of muscle pain in his back. Woodland has been heading north since winning the Reno-Tahoe Open last year. He contended at The Barclays, lost in a playoff in Malaysia and now feels confident about whos in charge at San Diego. Yes, the South is a beast. But the Kansas native hits it a long way. Then again, he made par on all of them, including a three-putt pars on the sixth and 18th holes. That was OK, for Woodland had nothing more than a wedge in on No. 1, and he collected a pair of birdies on the par 3s. His only lapse was a double bogey on No. 17 from a bad lie in the bunker and a three-putt. "If I drive the ball in play, Im playing a little different golf course than most guys are playing," Woodland said. Spieth, with a chance to move into the top 10 in the world with a win, hits the ball plenty far. He just wasnt very straight. The Texan pulled his opening tee shot and struggled to find fairways the rest of the day. He hit only five of them. The steady finish left him confident about collecting his second PGA Tour win. "Only one shot back and a bunched leaderboard," Spieth said. "Its going to take a good score tomorrow. ... Im excited about tomorrow. I had some great saves down the stretch today, so take that momentum." Woods thought he had some momentum, coming off a birdie on the 17th hole and in the fairway on the par-5 18th with a shot at the green. He went into the water and made double bogey, then made another double bogey on the first hole with a three-putt. It was his first time with back-to-back double bogeys since the 2011 PGA Championship. And it only got worse from there. Wholesale Jerseys China ' ' '