Worth noting

• Lefty reliever Jerry Blevins gave up his 10th run in his last 16 appearances Tuesday night, though Melvin is seeing signs of improvement with the southpaw.

"He's been getting better," Melvin said. "His stuff is crisper, and he looks more confident on the mound. Earlier, when he was really struggling, you could see he was picking a little more, as opposed to attacking hitters. I do see that confidence back where he's attacking hitters."

• The A's will play four games in Toronto, including three during the day, in a wraparound series that begins Friday and concludes Monday. During that time, Melvin will write out his lineup with Rogers Centre's artificial turf in mind.

"There's the challenge of keeping guys off the turf," he said. "[I] might need to DH somebody that could be affected by it more so than others. We'll take a look at that and see how guys are feeling each and every day."

Among those likely to get a day off on the field at some point are infielders Josh Donaldson and Jed Lowrie.