Hutchison scratched due to flu
Dickey moves up a day to face A's in series finale
OAKLAND -- Right-hander Drew Hutchison has been scratched from his start against the A's on Thursday afternoon because of flu-like symptoms, and the Blue Jays will instead turn to knuckleballer R.A. Dickey.
Hutchison caught a bad case of the flu earlier this week and there had been some initial hope that he would be feeling better in time to make his scheduled outing, but following a 4-3 loss to Oakland on Wednesday night, the change in pitchers was announced.
Dickey steps in on short notice, but he'll be pitching on normal rest because Toronto had an off-day Monday. It wasn't immediately clear how long Hutchison will be out, but if he's feeling better in the next day or two, he'll likely pitch Saturday in Seattle when Toronto needs another starter.
"Hutchison is pretty sick, so there could be a chance we end up pitching Dickey [on Thursday] instead of him, depending on how he feels," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said before an official decision had been made. "I don't know what he's got, Bay Area fever?"
Hutchison is 9-2 with a 5.19 ERA. He has been solid at home with a 2.21 ERA, but has struggled on the road with a mark of 8.81.