Athletics' Dunn will not start wild-card game vs. Royals

Oakland Athletics manager Bob Melvin said veteran slugger Adam Dunn "took it well" when he was informed that he will not start Tuesday's wild-card game against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium.

“Adam took it well when I told him,’’ Melvin told John Hickey of the Bay Area News Group. “He’s all about the team." 

Eager to field the strongest defensive lineup possible, Melvin installed Sam Fuld in left field for Tuesday's contest, consequently forcing Brandon Moss to the designated spot in lieu of Dunn, who's played 2,001 regular-season games without a postseason appearance.

“At times we’ll go offense early, defense late. At other times we’ll do defense early," Melvin explained. "It allows us to match up a little later in the game with Adam on the bench.’’

Though Dunn handled his disappointment like a professional, the 34 year old's composure didn't make the conversation any easier.

“Look, he just wants to win,” Melvin said. “I’m sure he’s probably disappointed some and wanted to be in there today, but in my experiences with him, he’s all about winning. When I told him when he first got here that he wouldn’t be playing against lefties, he said, ‘It’s fine by me. Whatever I can do to win, and I know that I can impact the game coming off the bench.’