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Athletics-Rangers Preview

Apr 29, 2009 - 4:30 AM By SANTOSH VENKATARAMAN STATS Senior Writer

Oakland (7-10) at Texas (9-10), 8:05 p.m. EDT

Vicente Padilla may not be pitching well so far, but he has been a thorn in the side of the Oakland Athletics through the years.

Padilla tries to win his sixth straight decision over the Athletics when the Texas Rangers continue a three-game home series Wednesday night.

The veteran right-hander has allowed opponents to bat .333 against him this season through four starts, and that will likely put his place in the rotation in jeopardy if it continues. Padilla (1-1, 8.27 ERA), though, could start to turn around his season Wednesday based on his past results versus the Athletics.

He is 5-0 with a 3.67 ERA in his last nine starts against Oakland (7-11). Padilla has yielded only two homers in that stretch - a span of 49 innings.

Opponents have already taken him deep four times in 20 2-3 innings this season. Padilla turned in his longest outing of the season Friday at Baltimore, allowing four runs in 6 2-3 innings and did not receive a decision in a 5-4 victory.

Texas (10-10) is playing without center fielder Josh Hamilton, who has a strained muscle in his left rib cage. Hamilton is trying to avoid the disabled list with medication and rest.

Without his top slugger, Texas manager Ron Washington has shifted Marlon Byrd to center field and used Andruw Jones in left. Washington expects Byrd to be the center fielder with Hamilton out.

"I think Marlon, right now, is best for that," Washington said. "Marlon has been playing center field for us the past three years and I think he had been doing a great job. ... This is my call. I don't have any explanation otherwise."

Texas made the most of five hits to post a 5-4 victory Tuesday. Nelson Cruz hit a tiebreaking single in the eighth inning as the Rangers won for the fourth time in five games.

Byrd went 0-for-4, but is still hitting .328 for the year.

For Oakland, Nomar Garciaparra and Mark Ellis could both be headed to the disabled list after leaving Tuesday's game with calf injuries after running out ground balls. Bobby Crosby replaced Garciaparra at third base in the bottom of the second inning, and after Ellis exited, Crosby moved to second base and Jack Hannahan entered at third.

The A's also lost rookie starter Brett Anderson to a blistered finger and reliever Santiago Casilla to a sore ankle.

"A rough night. Not only the loss, but losing four guys," Crosby said.

The A's will give Josh Outman (0-0, 5.23) his seventh career start and third this season. Outman has thrown two scoreless innings out of the bullpen since his last start on April 17 when he gave up five runs over four innings in an 8-5 win at Toronto.

The 24-year-old left-hander had his turn skipped in the rotation since his last start due to a postponed game and a scheduled off day for Oakland.

Outman is 1-0 with a 3.27 ERA in two career starts against Texas.