Just over seven months ago, the Seattle Mariners finished with the worst record in the AL. 

Just over seven months ago, the Seattle Mariners finished with the worst record in the AL. 

Eric Chavez was scratched from his return to the field for the Oakland Athletics on Thursday because of a strained right forearm. 

It's part necessity, part personal style, but Joe Torre will push closer Jonathan Broxton to his limits this year, says Tracy Ringolsby. 

ARLINGTON, Texas If only the elements played along, it would have been quite the lab experiment the A's had going Wednesday night against the Texas Rangers. 

The A's didn't mind a rainout on Wednesday night in Arlington, Texas, even though it's the third time this season the team has had a game postponed. 

--3B Eric Chavez was scheduled to make his first career start at first base on Wednesday night in Texas because Jason Giambi was sidelined by strained hamstrings, but the game was rained out. 

One of the reasons the A's offense struggled in the early going: the left-handed heavy Oakland lineup faced lefty starters 10 times in the first 15 games and the team went 2-10 in those games. 

The dish 

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. 

Apr. 

A rainout gave the short-handed Oakland Athletics a well-timed night off. 

The Oakland Athletics put infielders Nomar Garciaparra and Mark Ellis on the 15-day disabled list with calf injuries before Wednesday night's game against the Texas Rangers. 

The dish 

Nelson Cruz hit a tiebreaking single in the eighth inning to make up for a costly error, and the Texas Rangers beat the Oakland Athletics 5-4 Tuesday night.