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LAA@TEX: Darvish fans seven over 5 1/3 frames of work

The good news for the A's lineup is that Rangers starter Yu Darvish said he had a bad bullpen session leading up to Wednesday's start against Oakland.

"I'm still working and trying to get my body feeling the way I want it to, and mentally, too," Darvish said. "I'm trying to get those together. My bullpens have been OK. They haven't been that good."

The not-so-good news? Darvish is still the only pitcher in team history to pick up five wins in his first seven starts and he always says he has bad throwing sessions.

"[Darvish] said he's never happy with his bullpen. That's what he told me," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "He's a horse. We'll know tomorrow when he pitches."

Darvish struck out seven and allowed three runs over 5 1/3 innings in the Rangers' 10-3 win over the Angels in his last start. He could have his work cut out for him on Wednesday, though. The A's are 8-5 this month and have been hitting better lately. What's more, Wednesday's starter for Oakland, Tommy Milone, thrives against potent offenses. He allowed just one earned run over seven innings against the Tigers in his last start, and on April 24, tossed eight scoreless innings against the White Sox.

"It looks like he comes as advertised. We're going to have to try to come up with a good plan, potentially try to take away from some of his strengths," A's manager Bob Melvin said. "The first time around, I think, certainly is an advantage to the pitcher, but they haven't seen Milone, either."

"They're playing some good baseball. They seem to have put some offense together," Washington said. "They brought [pitching coach] Kurt Young back in there. They're starting to pitch a little bit, too. They're starting to catch the ball a little bit better."

The Rangers have been in first place in the AL West for 323 of the last 339 days, dating back to June 8, 2010. The second-place A's would like to start a trend of their own.

"I always said that, this division, you have to watch out for Oakland and Seattle," Washington said. "I never wrote out there that it was the Angels and Texas. In fact, I never said who it was. Seattle is better. Everyone in baseball is better. Oakland is better. The Royals have a pretty young club over there. They just had a bad spell. The Orioles are better. The Indians are better. Everybody in baseball is better. It's not going to be easy."

A's: Milone has interesting numbers
• Milone's numbers are eye-opening for a number of reasons. He is 3-0 with a 0.39 ERA at home, but 2-2 with a 7.84 ERA on the road. He has allowed a .175 batting average to batters leading off an inning. Also, the opponents' Nos. 3 and 4 hitters are batting a combined .142 against him.

• Brandon Inge, nursing a tight right groin, was held out of the A's lineup for a third straight day on Tuesday. However, Inge said he was "close" to a return, and Melvin noted the third baseman will likely be back in action by Thursday at the latest, possibly Wednesday.

• The A's have committed four errors in the last 11 games. They have 23 errors for the season.

Rangers: Hamilton swinging a hot bat
• Josh Hamilton is riding a 15-game hitting streak and his statistics continue to reach historic proportions.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the outfielder is the fourth player in the last 40 years to lead in the quest for Major League Baseball's triple crown at least 35 games into his team's season.

What's more, Hamilton's 44 RBIs through 35 team games ranked second in club history behind Juan Gonzalez, who had 46 in 1998. Hamilton is just one of five players with 44 or more RBIs through his team's first 35 games in a season.

• Nelson Cruz was batting .469 (15-for-32) with two home runs, four doubles, eight RBIs and 10 runs scored in his last eight games entering Tuesday to raise his batting average from .216 to .273.

Worth noting
• The Rangers announced that longtime radio voice Eric Nadel will be the 15th member of the Texas Rangers Baseball Hall of Fame. Nadel will be inducted in an on-field ceremony on Aug. 11.

• The A's hit their 33rd home run of the season Monday in game 36. Last year, the A's did not hit their 33rd home run until game No. 60.

• Newly acquired lefty Travis Blackley is expected to report to the A's on Wednesday, at which time the club will announce a corresponding roster move.

• Standing room tickets and a limited number of obstructed view tickets are available for Wednesday's game. Obstructed view and scattered singles are available for Thursday's game.

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