News
Holliday faces former club for first time
Oakland (31-40) vs. Colorado (37-35), 7:05 p.m. PT
By Adam Loberstein / MLB.com
06/25/09 1:41 AM ET
OAKLAND -- There will be a reunion of sorts when the A's and Rockies take the field Friday. Matt Holliday will play his first game against his former team since being traded to Oakland for three players during the offseason. |
Two of those players -- Huston Street and Carlos Gonzalez -- return to the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum as visitors for the first time.
"They're doing well," A's manager Bob Geren said. "It's been nice to see Carlos get some more playing time." Gonzalez is batting .180 in 14 games since being recalled from Triple-A Colorado Springs, where he had a .339 average in 192 at-bats. Street is 2-1 with a 3.19 ERA and 16 saves as the Rockies' closer. Left-hander Greg Smith, the third player acquired by Colorado in the trade, is currently rehabbing an injured throwing shoulder with Double-A Tulsa. Holliday insists facing Colorado brings no added incentive to the weekend series. "It's just another game," he said. "It'll be good to see the guys." Holliday is batting .270 with eight home runs and 39 RBIs for the A's. After posting six multi-hit games over a seven-game span, he's batting .193 in his past 16 games. While Holliday has cooled, Colorado has become the hottest team in the Majors. The Rockies have won 17 of their past 20 contests. Pitching matchupOAK: LHP Brett Anderson (3-7, 5.74 ERA)
Anderson tossed five innings and allowed three runs on five hits in his last start. He struck out three, walked one and hit a batter. Overall, Anderson said he was pleased with his ability to thwart a potentially disastrous inning against the Padres, when he minimized the effects of a hit batter, two singles and a walk. Anderson allowed two runs in the inning but kept his cool to avoid further damage. COL: RHP Jason Hammel (4-3, 4.41 ERA)
Hammel struggled when his team needed him most Saturday night in a Rockies victory over the Pirates. He gave up one run after the Rockies tied the game in the second, and three runs after his team had taken a two-run lead, but six of the eight hits off Hammel were singles. He struck out four and walked two. Hammel, who came to the Rockies from the Rays, is 2-1 with a 6.75 ERA against the Athletics, including one start and four relief appearances. He is 2-0 with a 2.70 ERA in three relief appearances, covering 6 2/3 innings, at McAfee Coliseum. Tidbits
Geren said Justin Duchscherer would meet with bullpen coach Ron Romanick and then start throwing again within the next few days. ... Travis Buck saw his 11-game hitting streak with Triple-A Sacramento come to a close Tuesday. He's batting .375 in his past 12 games. Tickets
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• Saturday: Athletics (Dallas Braden, 5-6, 3.26) vs. Rockies (Jorge De La Rosa, 3-7, 5.85), 6:05 p.m. PT
• Sunday: Athletics (Trevor Cahill, 5-5, 3.68) vs. Rockies (Aaron Cook, 7-3, 4.00), 1:05 p.m. PT
• Monday: Athletics (TBD) vs. Tigers (TBD), 7:05 p.m. PT
Adam Loberstein is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
