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Athletics-Rangers Preview

Apr 30, 2009 - 5:00 AM By MATT BEARDMORE STATS Writer

Oakland (7-11) at Texas (10-10), 2:05 p.m. EDT

With a victory Thursday afternoon, the Texas Rangers will finish with a winning record in April - something that hasn't happened in Ron Washington's first two seasons managing the team.

The Rangers (11-10) try for an above-.500 opening month when they go for their fifth win in six games in a matchup with the Oakland Athletics - losers of five straight on the road.

Vicente Padilla (1-1, 8.27 ERA) will take the ball for Texas on Thursday after his scheduled start Wednesday was postponed due to rain. The A's and Rangers will make up the game May 29 as part of a doubleheader.

Padilla yielded four runs and seven hits in a season-high 6 2-3 innings during his last start, not getting a decision in a 5-4 win over Baltimore on Friday.

"I was satisfied with his outing, period," Washington told the Rangers' official Web site. "The first three innings, he established what he was doing. In the fourth and fifth, although he gave up some runs, he didn't give in. He kept pitching. He established his type of game. That's what you have to do."

Padilla is 5-0 with a 3.67 ERA in his last nine starts versus Oakland (7-11).

Texas was 10-17 last April and 10-15 in April 2007, going on to finish 79-83 in '08 and 75-87 in '07. The Rangers went 13-12 in April 2006 during Buck Showalter's final season as manager.

The A's will counter Padilla with Dallas Braden. Wednesday's scheduled starter, Josh Outman, was pushed back to Sunday at Seattle.

Braden (2-2, 2.52) will try for his second straight win after beating Tampa Bay 5-2 on Saturday. He allowed one run and four hits in 5 2-3 innings.

The left-hander said he tweaked his groin during that outing, but is not overly concerned about any lingering effects.

"It was just more of a precautionary thing," Braden said of leaving his last start early. "No reason to try and battle. Heroes are made in September and October, not April."

Braden is 0-2 with a 5.12 ERA in six appearances against Texas.

Oakland has dropped six of eight overall and last won on the road April 8. The A's have dropped 10 of 13 at Rangers Ballpark.

Oakland will be without shortstop Nomar Garciaparra (right calf strain) and second baseman Mark Ellis (strained left calf) after they were placed on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday.

Outfielder Eric Patterson and right-hander Kevin Cameron were called up from Triple-A Sacramento.

"Whenever there's an up, there's a down," A's manager Bob Geren said. "We're banged up, the day off is nice, but on the other hand we're going to have 28 straight days playing this year, a couple of those."

First baseman Jason Giambi, who went 1-for-4 in Tuesday's 5-4 loss to Texas, could be in Thursday's starting lineup. He would not have been available Wednesday due to sore hamstrings.

"This definitely helps me out," said Giambi, three homers shy of 400. "I've been treating it all day and it's feeling a little better. We'll see tomorrow how it is."

Rangers right fielder Josh Hamilton is out for at least a few more games with sore ribs.

Oakland has a major-league worst eight home runs while Texas leads the majors with 39.