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When Rangers third baseman Hank Blalock went on the disabled list back on April 29th, not much was going right in Arlington. The Rangers were 9-18 in last place of the AL West, there were rumors beginning to swirl that manager Ron Washington was on the verge of losing his job, and Blalock's injury was just another indicator that it was going to be a long season for the Rangers.

Then the Rangers won 13 of their next 18 games without Blalock to improve to 22-23, and are now only 3.5 games out of first place. Having a front row seat for those games, Hank saw first hand the improved play and chemistry his team was showing, and he doesn't want to mess it up. That's why when he returns from the DL, he'll be playing first base.

The two-time All-Star third baseman figured the best way to help a lineup that has clicked in his absence was to switch to first base, where production has been a problem for the Rangers since Mark Teixeira's departure last July. So Blalock made the suggestion to Ron Washington on Friday, and general manager Jon Daniels agreed it was a good idea.

"I'm not doing anything to benefit myself here," Blalock said. "It's a new position for me, so I'm not sure how I'll do over there. Just watching the guys and how well we were playing, it crossed my mind."

The Rangers have been without third baseman Hank Blalock since Friday when he pulled his hamstring during the 10th inning of a 6-5 Rangers victory over the Twins. He sat out both Saturday and Sunday's contests, and is now slated to undergo an MRI today with team orthopedist Dr. Keith Meister.

"I don't know what to think," Blalock said. "My mind is optimistic, but I'm confused. I've never had a hamstring injury. The soreness died down a little today. It had to after I iced it down about six times yesterday."

Wow, that's pretty impressive actually. All the injuries Hank has suffered in his career, and not once has he tweaked a hammy?

Regardless of what the MRI says, I'm guessing that Blalock is going to end up doing some time on the disabled list because of it. Teams generally take the cautious route when it comes to hamstrings because rushing a player back before he's ready usually leads to a lot of long term problems.

The problem for the Rangers is that, if they do put Blalock on the disabled list, they don't have many options to call up and fill in for Blalock. The only extra infielder they currently have on their 40-man roster is Joaquin Arias, and he's still recovering from shoulder surgery that basically makes it impossible to play on the left side of the infield right now. So it's more likely they'll call up another pitcher, and use Ramon Vazquez and German Duran to fill in for the time being.