A's to skip Hammel in rotation against Angels

OAKLAND -- With off-days this week on Monday and Thursday, the A's have decided to skip Jason Hammel's start originally scheduled for Friday against the Angels. Hammel is expected to rejoin the rotation during the following series in Houston.

"With these off-days, we've manipulated a little bit here," said A's manager Bob Melvin before Tuesday's matchup with the Mets. "But we still know that this is a guy that's very important to us and we have to get him going."

Sonny Gray, Jon Lester and Scott Kazmir will each move up a day to face the division-rival Angels on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, respectively. That still gives Gray and Lester an extra day of rest, while Kazmir gets the typical four days off between starts.

Hammel, meanwhile, will be available out of the bullpen on certain days during this five-game homestand, depending on when he does his side work. The right-hander plans to push "a little bit harder" than he normally would in those sessions, according to Melvin.

In seven starts since being traded from the Cubs, Hammel is 1-5 with a 6.75 ERA. His August began with back-to-back effective outings, but he followed those up with a rough outing in Atlanta on Friday -- five runs and three home runs in three innings.

Hammel has appeared in 57 games as a reliever, including three times for the Orioles last September.