NewsA's give ball to bullpen to close season
Lefty reliever Kilby starts in place of Edgar Gonzalez
By Mychael Urban / MLB.com
10/04/09 3:10 PM EST
OAKLAND -- A's manager Bob Geren announced Sunday that Edgar Gonzalez, the right-hander scheduled to start the season finale against the visiting Angels, has been scratched. Geren said rookie lefty reliever Brad Kilby, who has allowed only one earned run since joining the A's this month, will start and work two innings. Kilby's bullpen-mates will take it from there. "The bullpen has been a strength all year, and we'd like to finish our season on a positive," Geren said. "So we're going to go with our best guys. You might see anywhere from five to eight pitchers today, depending on how that game goes." Gonzalez, who served as the team's designated long reliever for much of the season before being added as the sixth man in the rotation for September, could be one of the pitchers used. "Edgar is fine," said the skipper. "We just want to take one last look at some of the younger guys today."Mychael Urban is a national writer for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
