Oakland A’s manager Bob Melvin seen here in Seattle against the Seattle Mariners on Wed Jun 2, 2021 will lead the A’s against the Colorado Rockies on Fri Jun 4, 2021 at Coors Field in Denver (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s (33-25) will be in Denver to play a three-game series against the Colorado Rockies (22-34) starting Friday night. The A’s own a modest two-game winning streak and are hoping to extend the streak to five. Things will be slightly different for Oakland as they are playing in a National League park, and the A’s will not be able to use the Designated Hitter. The A’s pitchers will be taking batting practice as they will have to go to the plate and be ready to hit.

The Rockies are currently in fourth place in the National League West. The Rockies’ record for the season is 22-34. That will change as they are playing the Texas Rangers on Thursday. The Rockies are very good at home as they are 18-12. On the road, it’s a different story. Their road record is underwhelming as they have won four and lost twenty-two. The A’s, on the other hand, are great on the road. They are 16-8, while their home record is just 17-17.

Frankie Monras will go for Oakland Friday night. Montas is 5-5 with an ERA of 4.45. Montas has lost his last three starts but has pitched well, posting an ERA of 3.24. Montas is 0-2 in two starts against Colorado. Rockies’ manager Bud Black will send righty Jon Gray to face the A’s. Gray is 4-2 with an ERA of 4.45.

On Saturday lefty Cole Irvin will be on the mound for the A’s. Irvin has not done well in his last three starts. The lefty has allowed at least four earned runs in each start. Lefty Kyle Freeland (0-0, 4.50 ERA) will go for the Rocks. On Sunday, James Kaprelian will be on the hill for the A’s. Kaprielian is 2-0 with an ERA of 2.95. In his last start against Seattle, Kaprielian went three and 2/3rds innings and was tagged for four runs. The Rockies will counter with German Marquez (3-5, 4.13 ERA).

The Rockies traded their best player, Nolan Arenado, to the St. Louis Cardinals before the 2021 season. There are rumors that their star shortstop, Trevor Story, will be traded before or at the trading deadline. Currently, on the 10-day IL, Story will be a free agent at the end of the year.

The Rockies still have players that the A’s will have to handle. Rockies’ right fielder, Charlie Blackmon, is having a down year. Blackmon, a career .300 hitter, is hitting .250 with three home runs and 26 RBIs. The A’s pitchers will be hoping that Blackmon doesn’t find his stroke in the series.

Another player the A’s are familiar with is first baseman C.J.Cron. The A’s faced Cron many times when he was with the LA Angels. Cron is hitting .275 with five dingers and 18 RBIs. Their new third baseman, Ryan McMahon, is making a name for himself. His batting average is .259, and he has 13 homers and 32 RBI’s to his credit.

The A’s offense woke up in the last two games against the Mariners. The A’s had 23 hits in the last two games and scored 18 runs. A’s shortstop, Elvis Andrus, is hitting over .300 for the last three weeks. Tony Kemp had five RBIs in Tuesday’s game in Seattle. Matt Chapman, struggling at the plate, had two hits Wednesday night. Matt Olson had three. Mitch Morland blasted a 444-foot monster home run Wednesday night.

The A’s lead in the West is precarious. The Houston Astros are just 1/2 game the A’s in the race for first place in the AL West. The Astros have won four in a row. They have won the last three against the Boston Red Sox and will be going for a sweep of the four-game set Thursday afternoon. A Houston win will tie the A’s for first place. A loss will put them a game behind Oakland.

The A’s will be ready for the Rockies as they have an off-day on Thursday after playing 17 consecutive days. Oakland will need their starters to pitch well. The Rockies would love nothing more than to upset the A’s plans. The series starts Friday night at Coors Field at 5:40 pm.