Jack Cust News

A leadoff walk. A single. A ballistic missile of a fly ball. Another single. A visit from the pitching coach.

Manny Ramirez is long gone, infuriating a manager somewhere else, but the Fenway Experience is alive and well.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Jason Giambi says all the right things. He expresses a genuine optimism that his fortunes at the plate will turn around at some point.

A small slice of satisfaction can be had from making Boston Red Sox All-Star closer Jonathan Papelbon sweat out a ninth inning as he did Wednesday.

Scott Hairston is just starting to get acquainted with his new A's teammates, both in the clubhouse and on the field.

Having banged out at least 10 hits in each of their previous three games, the A's had every reason to feel good about their bats heading into Tuesday night's matchup with Tigers right-hander Armando Galarraga.

Dallas Braden , who has pitched much, much better than his record will show, was rewarded for an excellent start today with an actual win, as the A's take the series from the Tigers with the final score of 5-1. Braden was simply fantastic in his seven innings of work, allowing five hits , one walk, and three strikeouts.

Dallas Braden threw seven strong innings, and Jack Cust and Jason Giambi each hit a two-run homer, as the Oakland Athletics defeated Detroit, 5-1, in the rubber match of a three-game series.

Taiwan s Ni Fu-te of the Detroit Tigers pitches against the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday in Oakland, California.

Jason Giambi and Jack Cust broke out of funks with two-run homers, Dallas Braden ended a four-start winless stretch and the Oakland Athletics beat the Detroit Tigers 5-1 Wednesday.

Jack Cust is enduring tough times at the plate right now, as his spot in the batting order would suggest.

A's left-hander Josh Outman today will undergo elbow surgery that's expected to end his rookie season.

The offense wasn't working. Hitters weren't getting on base. They weren't being driven home when they did.

While the eyes of Rockies Nation were looking to see what Matt Holliday looked like in A's green and gold, Jason Hammel stole the show.

Aaron Rowand added an RBI double and the Giants captured the season series for the first time since 2001 with their second straight winning road series.

After nine straight games in National League parks, the A's are finally using American League rules, meaning the designated hitter, and Jack Cust's the guy tonight.

OAKLAND, Calif. a ' When Michael Lewis wrote his 2003 book "Moneyball," he depicted an Oakland A's team that was built on frugal spending, unorthodox player assessment and an in-game approach that minimized risks.

The A's haven't decided who will face the Giants on Wednesday. Scheduled starter Josh Outman received an MRI exam Monday on the left elbow that was diagnosed as having a mild flexor-extensor strain.

San Diego Padres pitcher Kevin Correia delivers during the first inning of a baseball game against the Oakland Athletics, Sunday, June 21, 2009, in San Diego.

On a night when the A's had lots of big contributors, Adam Kennedy still found a way to stand out Saturday night.