Likely without Davis, A's try to keep rolling vs. Mariners

The Oakland Athletics might not have slugger Khris Davis available when they open a nine-game homestand Friday night against the Seattle Mariners.

Davis missed Wednesday's game in Cleveland after departing in the third inning the previous night with lingering effects from a left hip contusion he suffered May 5 in Pittsburgh, when he ran into a railing in foul territory.

Davis, who has missed seven games since suffering the injury, was scheduled to undergo an MRI, and A's manager Bob Melvin said a decision on whether to put Davis on the 10-day injured list would likely come Friday.

"Probably a great chance that he goes on the IL, but we'll hold off just in case," Melvin said after Wednesday's 7-2 victory against the Indians, which completed a sweep.

Davis, who has hit more home runs than any other MLB player since the start of the 2016 season and has a team-leading 12 this season, told MLB.com he thought he might have an oblique injury.

"I'm not a doctor, and we'll get the results, but maybe a bruised oblique is why he's feeling a sharper pain," Melvin said. "When he gets in the game and swings harder, that's when he really feels it."

Added Melvin: "It's never great to not have him, but if you're playing well, it's certainly more palatable when you're getting contributions up and down the lineup. There are times where he carries the load by himself. That's not the case right now. Guys are swinging the bats well, and everyone is contributing."

After losing the first two games of their recent trip in Seattle, the A's won their final six.

Right-hander Daniel Mengden (1-1, 3.65 ERA) will be making his third start for the A's since being recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas last week. He's 0-2 with a 5.89 ERA in four career appearances against the Mariners, including three starts.

He allowed one run on three hits in seven innings Saturday in a 4-1 victory at Detroit.

"It's always performance-based if you're going to stay, but the plan all along was not just to spot-start," Melvin said of Mengden. "We were going to add Daniel to the mix because he was pitching pretty well in Triple-A, and now he's pitching well here."

The Mariners, who were swept in the first three games of their trip in Texas, are scheduled to start left-hander Wade LeBlanc (2-1, 7.36).

LeBlanc, who missed five weeks with a strained right oblique, returned from the 10-day IL on Saturday. He lasted just 2 1/ 3 innings in a 18-4 loss to Minnesota, allowing seven runs on seven hits. Four of those hits were home runs.

"They pounded us," Mariners manager Scott Servais said. "What are you going to say? They hit the tar out of the ball. We made a lot of mistakes, our pitching is going through a tough spell right now and they're on everything. I'd like to say it's baseball, but we've got to make some adjustments."

LeBlanc is 3-0 with a 3.31 ERA in seven career games against Oakland, with five starts.

The Mariners have lost six of their past seven games, allowing 10 or more runs in three of those losses.They might be without catcher Omar Narvaez, who is considered day-to-day after taking a foul ball off his left knee in Wednesday's 2-1 loss to the Rangers.

--Field Level Media