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Rockies-Athletics Preview

Jun 25, 2009 - 5:33 PM By DAN PIERINGER STATS Writer

Colorado (37-35) at Oakland (31-40), 10:05 p.m. EDT

The Oakland Athletics acquired Matt Holliday in the offseason to add some punch to an anemic lineup. Holliday and the A's haven't been delivering at the plate lately, something they'll look to change against the All-Star outfielder's former team.

Holliday faces the Colorado Rockies for the first time as the clubs open a three-game series in Oakland on Friday night.

Oakland (31-40) finished last in the majors with a .242 batting average and last in the AL with 646 runs in 2008. To upgrade their offense, the Athletics sent pitchers Huston Street and Greg Smith and outfielder Carlos Gonzalez to Colorado for Holliday.

After hitting .329 with 95 home runs and 339 RBIs over his last three seasons with the Rockies, however, Holliday is batting .269 with eight homers and 39 RBIs in his first 70 games with the A's. Oakland is again near the bottom of the league with a .236 average and 298 runs.

Holliday is hitting .197 (12 for 61) with no homers, two RBIs and 11 strikeouts over his last 17 games. He said he doesn't feel any added pressure to snap out of his funk at the plate against his former club.

"It's just another game," he told the Athletics' official Web site. "It'll be good to see the guys."

The Rockies (37-35) have overcome Holliday's departure and the firing of manager Clint Hurdle on May 29 to move back over .500. After winning 17 of 18 from June 4-22, however, they've dropped back-to-back contests.

Colorado blew an eighth-inning lead in a 4-3 road loss to the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday, then fell 11-3 in the series finale Wednesday.

Manager Jim Tracy, who has guided the Rockies to a 19-7 record after their 18-28 start under Hurdle, isn't panicking about his club's recent performance.

"I think we have a good read of where the club is right now," Tracy told the team's official Web site. "We have a good club and we know it, we just have to get through this road trip with a winning record. That is our goal."

Colorado heads upstate to face Oakland before returning to Los Angeles to finish the nine-game trip with a series against the major league-leading Dodgers.

The Rockies will be trying to get back on track against an Athletics team that's been held to three runs or fewer in eight of its last 15 games, batting .220 and going 5-10 in that stretch.

The A's lost 6-3 against San Francisco on Wednesday, falling to 5-10 in interleague play.

They'll try to bounce back behind Dallas Braden (5-6, 3.26 ERA), who is all too familiar with his team's problems at the plate. The left-hander posted a 2.87 ERA in his last seven starts, but Oakland went 3-4 in those games.

The A's dropped the last three games started by Braden, giving him four runs of support over 20 innings.

"My goal is always nine innings, no walks, no hits, no runs," Braden said after suffering a 4-1 loss at San Diego on Sunday. "I'm not the guy to talk to about the guys who are swinging it."

Jason Hammel (4-3, 4.41) will start for the Rockies. The right-hander posted a 2.45 ERA while winning his first three June starts before giving up five runs in six innings against Pittsburgh on Saturday. Colorado went on to win that game 9-7.

Hammel went 2-0 with a 2.35 ERA in four relief appearances against Oakland last season, when he was with Tampa Bay.