Major League Baseball

Rangers' Hamilton has no emotions facing Angels for 1st time

Published Jul. 3, 2015 6:40 p.m. ET

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ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) Josh Hamilton insisted that he had no extra emotions playing the Angels for the first time since Los Angeles traded him back to Texas.

Before going 1 for 3 with a double and two strikeouts in an 8-2 loss Friday night, Hamilton said the only significance of the weekend series was limited to playing again this week following a month on the disabled list.

''It's just another baseball game,'' Hamilton said before facing the team he played for the past two seasons.

Hamilton, who batted fifth and played left field, was replaced in the field by Ryan Rua at the start of the eighth inning with Texas trailing 8-1.

Rua homered leading off the Texas ninth.

It was only Hamilton's 10th game for the Rangers this season, and his third since being activated Tuesday from the disabled list after a strained left hamstring.

Hamilton said he has moved forward since he was traded to Texas on April 27, rejoining the franchise the former AL MVP led to two World Series appearances.

''There's no searching or closure for me. It's over. I've moved on. I'm in Texas now,'' he said. ''I've got a great group of guys here. I had a great group of guys in Anaheim.''

The Angels traded Hamilton after an offseason that included shoulder surgery and a self-reported substance abuse relapse.

''I gave them to the best of my ability, worked as hard as I could to try to be the player I was in Texas, in Anaheim. They all knew that. They saw the work I put in,'' Hamilton said. ''Stuck with needles and cortisone shots and everything else to go out there and play. I gave them what I had when I was there.''

In two seasons with the Angels after signing a $125 million, five-year contract in December 2012, Hamilton hit .255 with 31 homers and 123 RBIs. He played only 89 games for Los Angeles last year because of injuries.

The Angels are paying $105 million for those two seasons, and Texas is responsible for $6 million through 2017 after Hamilton agreed to give up $14 million he was due from the original deal.

Los Angeles manager Mike Scioscia has said that the slugger lacked ''accountability'' to his teammates after leaving and that he was hopeful Hamilton would publicly take an opportunity to thank teammates that supported him and reach out to Angels owner Arte Moreno.

Scioscia's tone was a bit different before Friday's game, when the Angels played their first road game since the resignation this week of general manager Jerry Dipoto.

''We haven't really thought about Josh much. We've got a lot of things that we're trying to deal with as far as getting better on the field,'' Scioscia said. ''It hasn't really been a topic of conversation. Really, Josh is more a Ranger than anything else. We faced him for five years in a Rangers uniform, so I don't think it's going to be anything any different.''

Hamilton said he asked Dipoto and team president John Carpino multiple times when he was struggling if he could meet with Moreno and let the owner know he was working hard to get better.

''Each time, denied,'' Hamilton said. ''They said they would pass along the message. I take it as they passed along the message. If they didn't, it's on them, but I put it out there.''

Asked about when the Rangers go to Los Angeles for a series in three weeks, Hamilton said his focus has been on coming back from his hamstring injury.

''I can't imagine it being much worse than when I came back here with the Angels,'' he said. ''I'll get through that.''

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