A's to give Gray extra rest due to off-days

OAKLAND -- With off-days scheduled for Monday and Thursday during the A's upcoming eight-game road trip, manager Bob Melvin shuffled his starting rotation.

The skipper said before Sunday's homestand finale that he has elected to skip Sonny Gray's turn, giving the second-year right-hander extra rest.

Lefties Scott Kazmir and Brad Mills will start Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively, against the New York Mets, and righty Jesse Chavez, Gray and lefty Tommy Milone will take the mound Friday-Sunday vs. the Miami Marlins.

"Just giving Sonny a little bit of a break. Chavvy will get an extra day, too," Melvin said. "We did this a couple times the last few years and potentially [will] consider it with somebody else down the road, too."

Gray last pitched on Wednesday, when he earned his seventh win by topping the Texas Rangers. This means he will be pitching on nine days' rest come Saturday.

The A's ace is at 99 innings pitched in 2014 after compiling 182 1/3 in '13 -- 64 in the Majors and 118 1/3 at Triple-A.

Melvin stressed that Gray being pushed back is nothing more than "cautionary."

The other intriguing aspect of the manager's pitching schedule is that Mills will stick around. The 29-year-old left-hander pitched four solid innings on Friday after being acquired from the Milwaukee Brewers for $1 on Tuesday.