OAKLAND -- The A's currently have six starting pitchers for five spots. For now, it appears Bob Melvin is happy to use all six.
The Oakland manager confirmed that left-hander Sean Manaea will make his second start of the season Sunday against the Tigers, pushing right-hander Mike Fiers back a day to Monday.
"Fluid I think is the word we use these days," Melvin joked. "At this point, during this stretch that we have, it's going to look more like a six than a five."
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The stretch Melvin is referring to consists of 16 consecutive games without a day off from Sept. 3-18. He believes his starting pitchers will benefit from an extra day of rest.
"Yeah, I do. Most of these guys have been making their starts all year. I don't think when we signed Brett (Anderson) that we expected this many starts. So I think any time, this time of the season, that you can give some rest and not jeopardize performance, I think it's the right thing to do."
Manaea was extremely impressive in his season debut Sunday against the Yankees. The 27-year-old tossed five scoreless innings, allowing just one hit with five strikeouts in his first game since undergoing shoulder surgery last September.
"I like the fact that he put up zeros and really looked like when we saw him at his best," Melvin said. "Velo was a little bit higher than we saw most of last year, the changeup was terrific, and he threw just enough sliders to make sure it was a three-pitch mix. So we couldn't have expected more out of his first start."
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Homer Bailey will start Friday's game against the Tigers, followed by Chris Bassitt on Saturday, Manaea on Sunday, and Fiers on Monday. Tanner Roark will likely pitch Tuesday.
As long as the A's keep getting strong production from their starting pitching, there's no need to remove anyone from the rotation.