Anderson enjoys moment, outing against former team

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Rockies left-hander Brett Anderson tried not to think about facing his old teammates leading up to Saturday's game against the A's.

Then A's center fielder and leadoff hitter Coco Crisp stepped to the plate, made eye contact with Anderson on the mound and tipped his cap.

Anderson returned the gesture.

"It was different," admitted Anderson, who spent his entire career with the A's before being traded to Colorado in December. "It was fun to get out there and work and see some familiar faces."

Anderson said the only contact he had with his former teammates before Saturday were text messages with right-handers Jarrod Parker and Sonny Gray to see if he would match up with either of them. He had plenty of interaction with the A's on Saturday, however, as he took advantage of facing his old friends.

He was able to pick the brains of guys like Daric Barton and Crisp, asking them if they expected a particular pitch in certain situations. That can only happen in a Spring Training game, and only to a player such as Anderson -- who was drafted by Oakland in 2006 and has a deep bond with his former teammates.

"It was kind of cool in that way because I could ask them questions I don't normally get to ask other guys, especially since we don't face them in the regular season," Anderson said. "It was good to get that immediate feedback."

It also was a good outing.

The 26-year-old allowed one run on three hits and struck out one in his second Cactus League start. He was also pleased with his changeup and the soft contact he was able to induce, which are aspects Rockies manager Walt Weiss has come to like about the lefty.

"It's been real encouraging to see him go out there and throw it the way he has," Weiss said. "He's healthy and that's the biggest thing. We feel like if he's healthy he's going to have a big impact on the club and I think that's what we're seeing."

The health of Anderson's foot was on display in the third inning, when he was nearly involved in a 3-6-1 double play off the bat of A's infielder Nick Punto. Anderson, who missed most of last season with a stress fracture in his right foot, missed the bag but was just happy to almost be there.

"I asked the umpire if I would have been on the bag, would he have been out, and he [said] it was really close," said Anderson, adding, "I think I was more excited that I was going to beat Punto over there."