Around the AL: Rangers battle pitching woes

It’s a trick that might require a safety net, but the Texas Rangers are daring enough to work without one.

The Rangers entered Thursday five games above .500 and battling for the wild card. They also had the league’s highest ERA at 5.26.

There’s the trick.

In league history, no team has posted a winning record and the highest ERA at the same time. The Boston Red Sox tried and failed, going 77-77 in 1944.

Sixty-six teams with the highest ERA have finished last. That’s called landing with a thud, something the Rangers are trying to avoid.

Meanwhile, Rangers general manager Jon Daniels is preaching the importance of continuity “in every aspect of the organization.” He says this after the club fired pitching coach Mark Connor and named Andy Hawkins as the replacement – and the seventh person to hold the job since Opening Day 2000.

“I hope this is the last change we’ll make for a long time,” Daniels said.

Bullpen coach Dom Chiti also was canned, with Jim Colborn taking his place.

“There was no tipping point,” Daniels said. “We've got a number of young starters here now, and more on the way. I'd been thinking of how to best prepare them. Andy's had most of these guys in the minor leagues. They know him, they trust him. He communicates well with them.'”

Maybe the Rangers would be in better shape if they still had Chris Young, John Danks and Justin Duscherer. Just a thought.

Failing grade for A’s

Though 113 games, the Oakland Athletics had their worst record (53-60) since the 1998 season. And the finger can be pointed squarely at an offense that scored one run or fewer on 30 occasions.

Trading away all those quality starting pitchers probably didn’t help, either.

On two straight nights last week, the A’s failed to score after loading the bases with no outs. They were held without a hit through five innings last Wednesday.

“It's very frustrating,” Oakland shortstop Bobby Crosby said. “We need to get a win here. This isn't too fun. We need to pick it up, get it done somehow.”

More A’s

As if it can’t get worse for the lineup, third baseman Eric Chavez is done for the season with a labrum injury.

The six-time Gold Glove winner feared that the labrum was too damaged to repair, but that might not be the case.   

“If I can come back and play third, that would be awesome,” Chavez said. "But what I told the A's is, 'I want to be productive in the middle of the lineup again, I want to swing the bat for you guys again.' I'm hopeful I'll be able to do both.”

Chavez could need six months to recover. He’s not supposed to throw a ball for the first four months. He’s hoping to be ready for spring training.

The A’s hold their collective breath.

Chavez underwent surgery in September to remove bone spurs from his shoulder. He also had surgery on his left shoulder and lower back. 

If he gets too discouraged, he can check his bank account. That should put a smile on his face. Chavez has two years remaining on his six-year, $66 million deal.

Pushing Cuddyer from picture

Michael Cuddyer shouldn’t expect the red carpet to be rolled out, and stretched to right field, when he returns to the Minnesota Twins.

Cuddyer, who’s been on the disabled list with a strained tendon in his left hand, was ready to join the active roster this week after a rehab stint at Triple-A Rochester. But rookie Denard Span has a stranglehold on the position.

Span made another sensational play in right last Wednesday when he robbed Adrian Beltre of a potential go-ahead home run. He also collected three hits and a career-high four RBIs.

Span was batting .315 in 44 games and showing no signs of cooling off.

“He's a Gold Glove-caliber outfielder,'” pitcher Jesse Crain said after Span saved him from surrendering the home run. “Not to take anything away from Cuddy; Cuddy is great, but Span has filled in awesome.”

More Twins

Second baseman Alexi Casilla said there's a 60-to-70 percent chance he'll play again this season without needing surgery to repair the torn ligament in his left thumb.

The Twins will take those odds.

“It’s just going to depend on how his body reacts and how much pain he can go out and play with,” manager Ron Gardenhire said. “We’ll see.”

Casilla said he can swing pain-free from the right side. He also said the pain is “unbearable” from the left side.

Bad break for Jones

The rookie season of Baltimore Orioles center fielder most likely ended because of a foul ball.

A foul ball that slammed off his left foot, causing a fracture and leaving him on crutches and in a walking boot.

The injury occurred last weekend as Jones took his cuts against Seattle Mariners starter Felix Hernandez. Jones, 23, is hoping to return with a few weeks remaining, but the Orioles probably won’t take any chances with him.

After all, Jones was the center piece of the one-sided Erik Bedard trade, and he was hitting .279 with seven homers and 50 RBIs in 108 games. He also made huge strides defensively since spring training.

Jones will undergo another CT scan after three weeks before the Orioles decide their next move.

“You can't do anything about it,” Jones said. “It would be pointless to sit here and be mad over things I can't control.”

Veteran Jay Payton, the subject of frequent trade speculation, will get most of the starts in center as long as he’s still with the team.