Twins-Athletics Preview

Rumors keep swirling that Frank Thomas might wind up back in the Bay Area to bolster the Oakland Athletics' middle-of-the-pack offense.

Oakland's pitching staff, however, has been anything but mediocre.

With the AL's best team ERA, the A's will turn to rookie Greg Smith as they look for their fifth win in six games on Thursday in the finale of a three-game set against the visiting Minnesota Twins.

Oakland (13-9) has spent the last few days dealing with speculation that Thomas, who drove in 114 runs as its designated hitter in 2006, will be signed after he was released by Toronto over the weekend after batting just .167 with the Blue Jays.

Oakland's front office hasn't denied interest in Thomas, and it may figure a veteran power hitter would benefit the team's young offense, which is in the middle of the AL in average (.253) and runs scored (98).

Even when the A's have struggled to score, their pitching staff has generally picked them up. Oakland's 3.24 ERA is easily the best in the AL and second in the major leagues.

Smith (1-0, 3.00 ERA), part of the eight-player deal that sent Dan Haren to Arizona, started 2008 in Triple-A Sacramento, but has pitched well in the majors since he was called up April 9.

He struggled with his control in his first start, walking five, but has given up only two free passes in his last two outings, pitching 12 innings while allowing four earned runs.

"Location has to be my strong suit," Smith said after allowing four runs -- three earned -- in five innings of a 6-5 win over Kansas City on Saturday. The 24-year-old left-hander did not get the decision.

If Mike Sweeney keeps swinging the bat the way he has lately, the A's may not need Thomas. Sweeney has five multi-hit games in his last eight, and got two more hits on Wednesday in Oakland's 3-0 win over Minnesota (10-11).

One of those hits was his first homer since June 14.

"It felt good to fill that column," said Sweeney, a .335 hitter in 489 career at-bats against the Twins. "(But) the best thing about tonight was the win."

Minnesota got at least six innings out of its starter for the fourth straight game on Wednesday as Boof Bonser allowed two runs in six innings.

The last Twins starter who didn't last six innings was Francisco Liriano (0-2, 6.52), who allowed three runs in five innings of Friday's 4-0 loss to Cleveland.

That outing was only Liriano's second since Sept. 13, 2006, when he left a start against the A's due to elbow trouble. The left-hander had reconstructive surgery on his throwing elbow in March 2007, forcing him to miss the entire season on the heels of his brilliant 2006 rookie year, when he went 12-3 with a 2.16 ERA.

He's struggled with his control in 2008, walking 10 batters over 9 2-3 innings in his first two starts back.

"I think I'm rushing too much with my fastball and trying to make a perfect pitch," Liriano told the Twins' official Web site after the loss to the Indians. "It's not working that way. I just need to calm down and get better and hit my spots with my fastball."