Oh hey there again, offense

For the first month of the season, I wondered if the Rangers could get by and contend for the AL West title with the offense producing at a less-than-inspiring pace.

The offense still isn't quite where it needs to be, but Thursday's 13-7 victory over the Orioles made me think we're headed in the right direction.

Not exactly breaking news, but the lineup looks considerably better with a healthy Ian Kinsler and Nelson Cruz.

Manager Ron Washington has mixed up the batting order lately, switching around Kinsler and the streaky Josh Hamilton. Since May 17, Kinsler is batting in the No. 3 hole, while Hamilton has been inserted into the No. 5 spot.

Since the skipper made the move, Kinsler's gone 5-for-16 (.312) with a home run and five RBIs in a four-game span. He's batted in at least one run from the 3 spot in all four games.

Hamilton, since being moved to 5 in the order, has batted 6-for-13 (.461) with a home run and two RBIs in three games.

Texas has also won all four games since the switch, completing two-game sweeps of Anaheim and Baltimore. The Rangers are holding a four-game lead over Oakland in the West.

The move seems to be working.

Kinsler makes better contact and gets on base at a better rate than Hamilton, who has to be one of the streakiest hitters in baseball. Make no mistake, Hamilton's bat is needed for this team to contend, but it may make sense more in the 5 slot where he may see a few more pitches batting in between the red-hot Vlad Guerrero and Nelson Cruz.

I love the way the lineup looks after the shuffling:

1. Andrus
2. Young
3. Kinsler
4. Guerrero
5. Hamilton
6. Cruz
7. Smoak
8. Treanor
9. Borbon/Murphy

The first four bats in the lineup are consistent in putting baseballs in play. When Hamilton is on the right side of a streak, it's pretty darn fun to watch. Cruz continues to crush the ball and would probably lead the league in home runs and RBIs if he wasn't sidelined for the first two weeks of May with a hamstring injury. As is, the guy already has eight jacks, 30 RBIs, seven stolen bases and is hitting .330.

It's also worth noting that the Rangers are currently sporting a 17-7 home record, the best mark in baseball this season. The Cubs are in town for what should be an interesting interleague matchup this weekend. Let's hope the home winning streak continues.