"Jack Cust was in left field at the Coliseum for the first time since Aug. 29, 2008, and didn't seem uneasy about it. In fact, when he was at Triple-A Sacramento, he asked River Cats manager Tony DeFrancesco if he could play some outfield, just in case he got a chance in the majors.

"Luckily, I got in some games," said Cust, who played seven games in left for Sacramento and six in right. "I was doing pretty well down there. The more I get out there, the more comfortable I'll be."

Unfortunately for Cust, he dropped a routine flyball in Anaheim on Saturday, immediately after he was recalled. "That was disappointing," he said. "Hopefully, I got it out of my system."

Manager Bob Geren, desperate for a potent bat, seems fine with Cust playing in left, saying, "He's had quite a few stretches playing regularly in the outfield, and he's done OK."

With the A's last year, Cust played 51 games in the outfield, all in right.

Duchscherer hopeful: Justin Duchscherer still is waiting for an appointment with Dr. Thomas Byrd in Nashville to see what's next with his latest hip ailment, which he called a femoral-acetabular impingement that was caused by wear and tear. He said Monday his "goal is to do everything I can to pitch again this year" and delay the surgery until after the season."