PEORIA, Ariz. -- It hasn't been the greatest of springs for Mariners slugger Nelson Cruz, but things may be looking up.
After starting the spring hitless in his first 17 at-bats, Cruz notched his first hit of Cactus League play on Wednesday.
On Friday against the Rangers, he went one better -- hitting his first home run, a long blast to right-center field in the Mariners' 7-1 win.
"It's nice to see Cruz get one," Mariners manager Scott Servais said. "Nelson's a special player. He's got unbelievable power, it doesn't matter which side of the ballpark the ball goes out. It was a good sign. He had good swings all day."
Cruz is coming off a season where he hit 44 home runs and drove in 93 runs in his first season with the Mariners.
For the day, Cruz went 1-for-3, lifting his batting average to .095 with two weeks remaining in Spring Training.