JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — After missing the first 22 games of the season with a sprained right ankle, Texas Rangers 2B Ian Kinsler returned to the lineup Friday (4/30/10) and made a key contribution in the Rangers’ 2-0 win over the Seattle Mariners.

The Mariners had the bases loaded with one out in the bottom of the 10th inning when pinch-hitter Mike Sweeney grounded into a SS-2B-1B double play to end the threat. The Rangers went on to win in 12 innings.

Kinsler singled in his second at-bat and went 1-for-5. According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, he predicted he’ll resume stealing bases — he stole 31 in 2009, to go alone with 31 home runs — but hasn’t fully recovered from his injury:

The pain that Ian Kinsler continues to feel in his right ankle isn’t a constant companion, but it’s not going away for good anytime soon. The pain, though, is no longer an inhibiting factor, and hasn’t been for about a week. The ankle passed every test Kinsler gave it while rehabbing in Arizona and Frisco, and it was put to a big-league test Friday night.

Kinsler prepped for his return with a three-game stint for the AA Frisco RoughRiders, where he went 3-for-9 with 3 RBIs.

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