HOUSTON -- On Wednesday, the Houston Astros jumped up and down on the Rangers' winning streak, smashing it to teeny, tiny bits.

And you know what: It was a good day for the Rangers anyway.

Despite another night when the offense couldn't capitalize on early opportunities and the bullpen failed them and the final -- 13-2 Houston -- was hideous, the Rangers won five of six on perhaps the most challenging road trip of the year. More significantly, the prospect looms they could have their full lineup back by the end of the weekend and the starting rotation that was supposed to be an asset by the end of the month.

Carlos Gomez played center field, albeit in the minors, for the first time in a month. He will play again on Thursday and will be joined by Mike Napoli as the DH. Tyson Ross will start in the majors on Friday and Cole Hamels could start in the minors the same day. Both Gomez and Napoli could be back in the lineup by the end of the weekend.

"You would like to play from a position strength," manager Jeff Banister said before the game. "Having all of our players would be a strength."

And after: "I feel like we found something, some identity. I feel like we are going home with some good momentum. When you talk about momentum, it's about how you play. I felt like we did a good job of playing the way we like to play on this trip."

Getting the lineup together once and for all might put an end to the offense's stops and starts. But the rotation is something else altogether. It is what the Rangers expected would be their biggest asset going into the season.

Banister on Wednesday committed to Ross making his Rangers debut Friday. The tentative plan is for Hamels, out since he was scratched with an oblique strain moments before a May 3 game at Houston, to start and pitch about four innings at Double-A Frisco on Friday. If that happens and things continue to go smoothly, Banister left open the possibility Hamels could join the rotation for a four-game series with Cleveland that begins June 26.

"Having that rotation night-in and night-out, that would be a plus-plus kind of rotation," Banister said. "The plan all along was that when we signed [Ross and Andrew Cashner] that our rotation could be a separator, a difference-maker. But you have to plan for some degree of failure to that, too. You have to have an Armageddon scenario. We felt like we had some depth on that side of it. When guys grind through like our guys have, that's real momentum."

If the Rangers don't suffer any more pitching injuries, the full rotation could be together with more than half the season remaining.

Ross and Hamels both threw Tuesday. Hamels threw the equivalent of two innings worth of live batting practice, and Ross threw his final prep bullpen session.

The Rangers had hoped to have a rotation for the bulk of the season that included Yu Darvish, Hamels, Ross, Martin Perez and Cashner. Through the first 65 games, the Rangers had received only 39 starts (60 percent) from that group.

Wednesday was not a particularly good example of what Cashner can do for the team. He was constantly in trouble and was removed after failing to retire any of the three batters he faced in the fifth. Then the soft underbelly of the bullpen -- Jeremy Jeffress and Tony Barnette -- made a mess of things that led to a nine-run sixth inning. The less said about that, probably the better.

Wednesday aside, Cashner has been solid. That the Rangers were only 17-22 in starts from the expected members of their rotation was largely a reflection on the struggles of the bullpen.

It is an ongoing issue the Rangers may have to address again this weekend, especially after Jeffress and Barnette combined to allow seven runs over the fifth and sixth innings. Barnette has a 9.19 ERA since May 1; Jeffress has struggled all season. With players coming off the DL, the Rangers will have to make room on the active roster.

On Wednesday, it added up to a bad outcome, but it couldn't ruin what, in the larger picture of the season, was a very good day for the Rangers.

"When we get all those guys back," Rougned Odor said. "We are going to do some damage."

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