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Rangers' Hamilton on facing Angels: 'It's just another baseball game'

Kevin Jairaj / USA TODAY Sports

ARLINGTON, Texas - Josh Hamilton insists he has no extra emotions facing the Angels for the first time since Los Angeles traded him back to Texas.

The slugger said Friday the only significance of the weekend series is limited to his return to the lineup this week following a month on the disabled list.

''It's just another baseball game,'' Hamilton said before facing the team he played for the past two seasons.

Hamilton said he has moved forward since he was traded to Texas on April 27, rejoining the franchise the former AL MVP led to a pair of World Series appearances.

''There's no searching or closure for me. It's over. I've moved on. I'm in Texas now,'' he said. ''I've got a great group of guys here. I had a great group of guys in Anaheim.''

Hamilton batted fifth and played left field in the series opener, the first time he has played consecutive games since being activated Tuesday from the disabled list after a strained left hamstring.

The Angels traded Hamilton after an offseason that included shoulder surgery and a self-reported substance abuse relapse.

''I gave them to the best of my ability, worked as hard as I could to try to be the player I was in Texas, in Anaheim. They all knew that. They saw the work I put in,'' Hamilton said. ''Stuck with needles and cortisone shots and everything else to go out there and play. I gave them what I had when I was there.''

In two seasons with the Angels after signing a $125 million, five-year contract in December 2012, Hamilton hit .255 with 31 homers and 123 RBIs. He played only 89 games for Los Angeles last year because of injuries.

The Angels are paying $105 million for those two seasons, and Texas is responsibile for $6 million through 2017 after Hamilton agreed to give up $14 million he was due from the original deal.

Los Angeles manager Mike Scioscia has said that the slugger lacked ''accountability'' to his teammates after leaving and that he was hopeful Hamilton would publicly take an opportunity to thank teammates that supported him and reach out to Angels owner Arte Moreno.

Scioscia's tone was a bit different before Friday's game, when the Angels played their first road game since the resignation this week of general manager Jerry Dipoto.

''We haven't really thought about Josh much. We've got a lot of things that we're trying to deal with as far as getting better on the field,'' Scioscia said. ''It hasn't really been a topic of conversation. Really, Josh is more a Ranger than anything else. We faced him for 5 years in a Rangers uniform, so I don't think it's going to be anything any different.''

Hamilton said he asked Dipoto and team president John Carpino multiple times when he was struggling if he could meet with Moreno and let the owner know he was working hard to get better.

''Each time, denied,'' Hamilton said. ''They said they would pass along the message. I take it as they passed along the message. If they didn't, it's on them, but I put it out there.''

Asked about when the Rangers go to Los Angeles for a series in three weeks, Hamilton said his focus has been on coming back from his hamstring injury.

''I can't imagine it being much worse than when I came back here with the Angels,'' he said. ''I'll get through that.''

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