Hamilton, Harrison pleased with injury rehabilitations
ARLINGTON -- Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton went 1-for-3 with a double in the first game of his injury rehabilitation assignment and Matt Harrison threw 104 pitches over six innings on Wednesday, both for Double-A Frisco.
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Hamilton batted third and was the designated hitter. In addition to his double, he had one walk and one strikeout.
Performance, though, likely isn't the biggest factor in Hamilton's recovery.
"I thought it went good," Hamilton said. "Took some pitches, worked the count. Put some good swings on balls. ... [I need to] get in the outfield and play the game and react, and then see how it feels the next day. I think that's the biggest thing when you go through injuries is to see how you feel the next day."
Hamilton is recovering from a strained left hamstring that put him on the disabled list on June 1. The Rangers wanted to keep him off the turf during their upcoming trip to Toronto, but there is a strong chance he will rejoin the club on Monday at Baltimore.
Hamilton is set to join Triple-A Round Rock in New Orleans on Friday before traveling with the Express for a weekend series at Omaha. After that, Hamilton will be reevaluated.
Harrison started and threw six innings before leaving after allowing three singles to start the seventh. He allowed five earned runs on nine hits, but he worked into the seventh inning for the third consecutive time.
Harrison, who is working his way back from spinal fusion surgery last year, struck out three and walked three. His command was spotty early on and resulted in only 64 of his 104 pitchers being strikes.
"I didn't feel as loose in the beginning," Harrison said. "I wasn't getting extension on the ball and was kind of leaving the ball flat and up. After the third inning, I felt great. The ball was coming out great, I had some more life on the ball. Offspeed was better."
The tentative plan is for Harrison to travel with the Rangers and throw a bullpen session at Toronto this weekend before making another rehab start next week.