AMERICAN LEAGUE: INSIDE THE A.L.: RANGERS DON'T LIKE THESE ACTIONS.

Byline: Joe Haakenson Staff Writer

Texas Rangers pitcher Kenny Rogers' bid to become the only player in major-league history to throw two perfect games ended when the Indians' Jim Thome walked to lead off the eighth inning Friday night. But the Rangers were not too happy with the Indians' methods of trying to distract Rogers along the way.

In the sixth inning, Indians manager Joel Skinner asked home-plate umpire Andy Fletcher to check Rogers for signs he was scuffing the baseball. Rangers pitching coach Orel Hershiser thought it was in bad taste.

``When a guy has a special game like that going, even if you think he's doing something to the ball, you leave that kind of stuff for another day,'' Hershiser told the Dallas Morning News. ``Or you wait until you get a hit. Did they cross the line? Yes, I think they did. I was a little surprised to see someone go out there and ask to see the ball. That's not something your dugout normally responds to in a kindly manner. And we're pretty normal.''

Several Indians said they believed Rogers was scuffing the ball, and they collected about 15 baseballs that had scuff marks in similar spots. Rangers manager Jerry Narron, though, pointed out Rogers never has had that reputation. And Fletcher found nothing on Rogers to indicate he was scuffing the ball.

--Can you (pinch) run? Jose Offerman didn't exactly leave the Red Sox on good terms, screaming at GM Mike Port upon hearing of his release in order to make room on the roster for the newly acquired Cliff Floyd.

Upon arriving in Chicago to join his new team, the Seattle Mariners, Offerman didn't exactly make a good first impression. He could not find his equipment bag, which had his bats and gloves.

``It wasn't on the plane, I don't know where it is,'' Offerman told the Seattle Times. ``I'm borrowing gloves and bats and trying to figure things out.''

Offerman wore out his welcome in Boston when he reportedly refused to pinch run for Carlos Baerga in a game last week. But Offerman denies the allegation.

``The story about refusing to pinch run is not true,'' he said. ``When they want to say something, they put it the way they want to put it. I was there for four years, and I never gave anyone any problems.''

--Giambis on the move: Jason Giambi left the A's by choice, signing a seven-year, $120 million deal with the Yankees during the winter. Consequently, the A's seemed to think they had no need to keep Jason's brother Jeremy around, trading him to the Phillies in May. And that surprised Jason.

``It was so out of the blue, I was as shocked as anyone else,'' Jason told the San Francisco Chronicle. ``I never really found out the reason, but (A's GM) Billy (Beane) is going to do what he's going to do.''