Athletics shut Gray down, Zito to start Wednesday

The Oakland Athletics have scratched Sonny Gray from what would have been his final start of the season Wednesday due to a hip issue. With Gray shut down, Barry Zito will take the mound against the Los Angeles Angels.

Gray has been one of the few bright spots for the Athletics this season, sporting a 14-7 record on a team sitting 26 games under .500 heading into Monday's action. He will finish the season with a 2.73 ERA and 169 strikeouts.

While Gray went 2-1 in his five September starts, the rest of the rotation combined for a 3-12 record and an 8.86 ERA.

Meanwhile, manager Bob Melvin told reporters Zito "was very up for it" when he asked the 37-year-old if he would like to make another start. The 2002 AL Cy Young winner started against former Oakland teammate Tim Hudson and the San Francisco Giants on Saturday, giving up four runs in two innings of work.