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		Marlins nip A’s; Ellis swapped to Rockies By Daniel Dullum June 30, 2011

	Florida starter Chris Volstad allowed only one earned run over seven innings, and John Buck cracked a two-run double Thursday as the visiting Marlins slipped past the Athletics 5-4 in interleague play at the Oakland Coliseum. Before the game, Oakland traded longtime second baseman Mark Ellis to the Colorado Rockies in exchange for a pair of minor leaguers – right-handed pitcher Bruce Billings and a player to be named, along with cash considerations. Though plagued by injuries in recent seasons, Ellis was the longest-tenured Athletic on the 25-man roster. He hit 86 home runs with 434 RBI in nine-plus seasons in Oakland while hitting .265 and playing in 1,021 games. General Manager Billy Beane explained that the emergence of rookie Jemile Weeks made Ellis expendable. At the time of the deal, Ellis was hitting .217 in 62 games with Oakland and spent time on the disabled list with a strained right hamstring. The Rockies plan to insert Ellis into their lineup as soon as possible. Billings began the season at Triple-A Colorado Springs before a promotion to the Rockies on May 25. He was 6-2 with a 4.47 ERA in 29 games with the SkySox this year, mostly in relief. Thursday’s win gave the Marlins an upbeat finish to an otherwise miserable month of June, when they fired their hitting coach (John Mallee), had manager Edwin Rodriguez unexpectedly resign (replaced by 80-year-old Jack McKeon) and tumble from second in the National League East to the division basement. Florida essentially got well in its three-game visit to the East Bay, sweeping the midweek series without allowing an earned run in the process. Volstad (4-7) scattered seven hits and allowed only an unearned run to win his second straight start. The A’s battled back in the late innings with a solo home run by Coco Crisp in the eighth inning and a two-run shot from Kurt Suzuki in the ninth. But Marlins reliever Leo Nunez hung on for his 22nd save of the season Trevor Cahill (8-6) took the loss for Oakland, allowing all five Marlins runs in his 4 2/3 innings of work. A’s ACORNS: Hideki Matsui, the A’s regular DH, made his first appearance in the outfield in an American League ballpark this season. … The Athletics raised more than $29,000 for juvenile diabetes research through their annual root bear float day at the Coliseum. … The surging Arizona Diamondbacks visit the Coliseum for a three-game weekend series. Going into the weekend, the Snakes trail San Francisco by two games in the NL West race. Oakland is fourth in the AL West, seven games behind first-place Texas.