Gray back Tuesday; Bassitt gets M's finale

OAKLAND -- Chris Bassitt will start Sunday's series finale against the Mariners, and Sonny Gray will likely start on Tuesday against the Yankees, A's manager Bob Melvin said on Saturday.

If Gray does start on Tuesday, he'd be on target to start again next Sunday against the Indians, which means there's a good chance he wouldn't be available to pitch in the All-Star Game on July 14. Gray still may be selected for the American League squad and travel to Cincinnati, but it doesn't look as though he'll be able to participate.

Gray threw a bullpen session on Saturday morning after running and throwing on Friday. He lost four pounds while battling salmonella but has gained the majority of the weight back.

"I feel great," Gray said. "I feel pretty normal now."

"He bounced back pretty quickly," said Melvin. "I saw his breakfast complement this morning, and he's not having any issues with his eating right now. He had a little bit of everything."

Bassitt, who tossed five innings of one-run ball in a 2-1 loss to the Rockies on Tuesday, will be making his first start of the season on regular rest. He faced Colorado on three days' rest following a flight from Nashville to Oakland.

When Melvin was asked what he liked about Bassitt's first start, his response was simple:

"No walks," Melvin said. "That's something that we asked him to go down and work on, because he has really good stuff."

Despite his overall success against the Rockies, Bassitt didn't like the way he commanded his off-speed pitches.

The main thing he's worked on this week is sharpening his off-speed stuff. He's confident that his 97-mph heater will serve him well, and he knows that if his other pitches are on, he's tough to hit.

Bassitt watched the Mariners crush four two-run homers on Friday night and knows he can't afford to miss his spot on off-speed pitches.

"Make mistakes and they'll make you pay for it," Bassitt said. "They have a lot of really good hitters that have a lot of power. You've got to get ahead early and go right at them."