--RHP Justin Duchscherer will start throwing off the mound on May 22, according to pitching coach Curt Young. Duchscherer had arthroscopic surgery to clean up his elbow in late March, and the A's are planning to rehab him as a starter, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. He is eligible to come off the DL June 4, but considering he'd need to make several rehab starts, mid-June seems more likely.
--SS Orlando Cabrera did the majority of the talking during a players-only meeting on the field before Tuesday's game. Then Cabrera, the A's leadoff hitter, had three hits and drove in four runs in a 12-3 win over the AL Central-leading Royals. It was Oakland's biggest output of the season. BY THE NUMBERS: 101 -- Games since Oakland's last complete game, through May 12. It's a franchise record, topping the previous mark of 96 set from June 21, 1997, to April 10, 1998. Justin Duchscherer threw the team's last complete game on July 8.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "It looked like a ball of cotton candy hanging from my wrist." -- LHP Dallas Braden, who continued to pitch with a severely swollen left hand on Sunday after being hit by a line drive by Vernon Wells.
