A's Beat Rockies In Cactus League Finale
PHOENIX (CBS / AP) -- Rockies manager Walt Weiss hopes he gets more out of Jhoulys Chacin on Opening Day than he did with the right-hander's final start of spring training.
Chacin, who will make his first career opening day start Monday in Milwaukee, was roughed up mainly by reserves and minor leaguers in a 6-5 loss to the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday.
He allowed six runs on 10 hits in five innings, walked one and struck out four. He gave up a solo home run in the fourth inning to Jeremy Barfield and picked a man off first base in the second.
Chacin left the ballpark after coming out of the game and did not meet with the media.
Weiss didn't seem concerned about Chacin's outing.
"I am confident he will get command of his stuff on Monday," Weiss said. "Jhoulys wasn't as sharp (on Wednesday) as he has been at times this spring. He worked trying to get out of trouble ... his change-up has been a great pitch for him, but it was not working the way he likes. His pitches were a little up."
Chacin had been scratched from his previous scheduled start Friday due to back issues but pitched two innings of relief Saturday. He missed 97 games due to shoulder inflammation in 2012 and was 3-5 in 14 starts.
Oakland first baseman Nate Freiman, claimed off waivers from Houston on Saturday, hit a two-run double off Chacin to put the A's ahead 6-5 with two outs in the fifth. The ball went off the glove of Rockies center fielder Dexter Fowler.
Fowler hit two home runs to lead off the first and fifth innings against Oakland starter Jarrod Parker. Chris Nelson also homered off Parker and Troy Tulowitzki went deep against reliever Hideki Okajima.
Fowler had three hits, raising his average to .388. Tulowitzki also had three hits to climb to .286.
Asked if Fowler is locked in with his hitting approach, Weiss said, "He got us some quick runs. A lot of our guys are locked in these last few days. It's a good sign."
The A's finished 6-0-1 over their last seven games, a good sign to manager Bob Melvin.
"We played well at the end. That's what you want," he said. "You want to ramp it up somewhat going into the season. We have three more games with a little more intensity (against the Giants), and then the season starts."
It was the final spring game in Arizona for the A's, who meet the rival San Francisco Giants for three exhibition games in the Bay Area starting Thursday. The Rockies wrap things up Thursday at home in Scottsdale against the Milwaukee Brewers.
NOTES: LHP Tommy Milone will start the Thursday opener for Oakland against the Giants, with RHP A. J. Griffin going in the second game and RHP Dan Straily in the finale. ... INF Hiro Nakajima has a strained left hamstring and will be examined by doctors in the Bay Area. Melvin said he is doubtful for the Giants series. Nakajima is hitting just .167 in 17 games. ... The Rockies are expected to face Milwaukee RHP Kyle Lohse on Thursday. He signed with the Brewers as a free agent on Monday.
(Copyright 2013 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
