With Monday’s day off, their last one of the regular season, the Athletics will readjust their starting rotation so that Sonny Gray pitches the regular season finale in Texas against the Rangers, per CSN Bay Area’s Joe Stiglich. The fading A’s, who defeated the Mariners on Sunday afternoon but have lost 12 of their last 17, will likely need every small advantage as they attempt to maintain a hold one of the two American League Wild Card slots.
The adjustment will have the Athletics sending out, in order, Scott Kazmir, Jeff Samardzija, and Sonny Gray in their three-game series against the Rangers at home from Tuesday through Thursday. Samardzija had been pitching ahead of Kazmir. Jon Lester and Jason Hammel remain unaffected at the back of the rotation.