--RHP Kevin Millwood was reinstated from the disabled list and will start Friday against Oakland. He had been out since May 11 with a groin strain.
--RHP Kameron Loe was optioned to Class AAA Oklahoma. He allowed two runs in 4 2/3 innings over two relief appearances with Texas. --3B Hank Blalock will be re-evaluated Friday. He received a cortisone injection in his sore right wrist earlier this week to combat carpal tunnel syndrome. Blalock did not respond to oral anti-inflammatory medication. If he doesn't respond to the injection, surgery becomes an option.
--INF German Duran was optioned to Class AAA Oklahoma after he hit .193 with the Rangers.
--3B Travis Metcalf was recalled from Class AAA Oklahoma, and he will platoon at third base with left-handed-hitting Ramon Vazquez.
--The Rangers go into their three-game series with Oakland with the best intra-division record in the AL West. They are 12-9 vs. the division. Los Angeles (8-7) was the only other team with a winning record inside the division.
--The end of the work week is the Rangers' favorite time. They are 12-2 on Thursday and Friday.
--The Rangers need wins in their final two games of the month to set a club record for wins in May. They are 17-9 heading into the Oakland series. They have won 18 on four occasions, most recently in 2005.
BY THE NUMBERS: 14 -- Times DH/OF Milton Bradley has been ejected in his career, through May 25. Bradley picked up two ejections in a three-day span on the road trip by arguing balls and strikes with home plate umpires Jeff Nelson and Dale Scott. Manager Ron Washington was also ejected after one of Bradley's arguments for defending his outfielder.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "When you draft a player, especially a high school player, you take a chance. They are so young and you don't know what choices they are going to make. I didn't see what happened to me happening and I know they didn't. But with kids, it's hard to predict what choices they will make. I'm grateful they drafted me and grateful they gave me the opportunity. There was a while where I felt like they gave up on me, but when personnel changed, they gave me a second chance. But it wasn't meant to be for me to be there. If it was, I'd be there now." -- Rangers CF Josh Hamilton, discussing his star-crossed career with Tampa Bay, which made him the No. 1 pick in the 1999 draft only to watch him struggle with substance abuse and ultimately be suspended from baseball for three years.
