Los Angeles Dodgers OF Yasiel Puig has minor hamstring strain

Manager Don Mattingly says using Puig as a designated hitter at Houston could be an option, saying: “Pretty good news today”. Mark Canha had two hits in three at-bats, with a walk.

Wood kept the game close, allowing the Dodgers to potentially tie or win the game with one swing of the bat, something they’ve done 28 times already this season.

“It could be something that needs rehab; it could be something that needs surgery”, Davis said. Okay, that’s certainly an overstatement, given that Butler has “only” grounded into 22 twin-killings this year in 112 contests, but it sure feels like he does it every day and somehow he didn’t do it this time against the hands-down best pitcher in the world who also happens to have pinpoint control and get tons of grounders.

Kershaw heads into Tuesday night’s game allowing just one run in five of his last six outings.

“That’s why you show up and play the game”. He walked two, struck out seven and left with a 4-1 lead.

That trust has been justified only sporadically over the past two months when the Dodgers’ bullpen has been among the least reliable in the National League despite their attempts to fix it. He was injured Sunday against Baltimore during a collision with A’s SS Marcus Semien. Pedro Baez was then brought in to clean it up but another run scored on an RBI-double to give Oakland the three-run lead an eventual 5-2 victory.

The Dodgers got the run back in the fifth inning when Ellis and Joc Pederson drew back-to-back walks off Felix Doubront.

The interleague matchup attracted a rare sellout crowd to the Oakland Coliseum, a large majority clad in Dodger blue.

Eric Sogard hit a sharp bouncing ball up the middle but Kershaw spun and made a backward barehanded, no-look catch then threw Sogard out.

Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig is day-to-day with a minor proper hamstring pressure. Smolinski hit. 320 with two home runs and seven RBIs in 11 games during his first stint with Oakland, from July 7 to August. 2. Prior to his strain he had a five-game hitting streak going on. He gave up a two-run homer to Rollins in the third inning and didn’t allow another hit until second baseman Enrique Hernandez doubled with two outs in the eighth. “I think winning the game last night, everybody was a little bit more invigorated this morning”. The Dodgers saw their lead in the NL West cut to 1.5 games with the loss, while the A’s are 13 games out first place in the American League West-a division they’ve dominated the last three seasons. On the flip side, Wood has a 5.09 ERA over that same stretch.

Kershaw gave up just one run, but the A’s made him work, and he left after throwing 116 pitches through seven innings.