"When a big leaguer fails to reach base in 15 consecutive plate appearances, there's bound to be talk of a slump.

Jimmy Rollins begs to differ.

"I wasn't struggling," the Phillies leadoff hitter said. "I hit some balls hard. Just didn't have any hits in my last 15 at-bats. That's not struggling. It's only three games."

That's easy to say, but the spoken word isn't always convincing.

So Rollins let his at-bats Sunday afternoon against the Athletics prove him right.

Rollins had a hit all four times he went to the plate and scored two runs in the Phillies 3-1 victory at Citizens Bank Park. Heading into Sunday's game, his average had slipped to .250, the lowest it had been since April 22. Now, it's back up to .260.

"I'm out there trying to scratch and claw my way through it," Rollins said. "It started out from the first pitch of the game, and I was able to continue it over the next three at-bats. I didn't really give away anything and [I found] a way to get on base, and I came away with four hits. I'll take it. I haven't had one of those in a long, long time."

He's not kidding.

It was the first time Rollins had a four-hit game since May 21, 2009, and this one came against Josh Outman, who has been nearly untouchable in his last two outings. The left-hander, who entered Sunday with a 2.86 ERA, was 2-0 with a 0.69 ERA in his last two starts. Opponents posted a batting average of only .182 (8-for-44) against him during that 13- inning stretch.

For Rollins, it was also just the second time this season he had at least three hits; his first three-hit game was June 18 against reigning AL Cy Young award winner Felix Hernandez.

"My brother even called me up and said, 'You need to concentrate when you're facing scrubs, too,' " Rollins said. "Those were his words. He was like, 'Every time you get the good competition, you find a way to get hits. It's simple for you. But [against] the other guys, you need to step it up.' I said, 'Believe me, I'm trying.' ""