Walker Buehler passes test as Dodgers beat A’s to win another series

LOS ANGELES >> Secure from red alert.

Walker Buehler’s right index finger passed its final regular season test with flying colors — none of them red or inflamed. Buehler went four scoreless innings before a parade of relievers completed a three-hitter in a 5-1 Dodgers win over the Oakland A’s Thursday night.

The win gave the Dodgers two out of three in the series against the A’s. With one series left (three games against the Angels this weekend at Dodger Stadium) in the regular season, the Dodgers have lost only one — two out of three to the Colorado Rockies Sept. 4-6.

“Any time you come off the IL, you just want to get back into the flow of it and I felt I did that tonight,” Buehler said.

“We’ve figured some things out in how to treat it. Moving forward I hope it’s not a problem. I think we’ve kind of got it down.”

The start against the A’s was Buehler’s first since he managed to get through just  2 2/3 innings in Arizona on Sept. 8 and only the second since August 21 due to a pair of trips to the Injured List with a blister on his right index finger.

Buehler had thrown multiple simulated-games in the meantime, some with the blister covered, some with it not covered. Those went well. But the Dodgers have reason to be wary of blisters and their stubborn nature, having stumbled through the land of laser therapy and homeopathic remedies — yeah, like that one — with Rich Hill.

And Buehler (who hosted a charity golf tournament last fall that benefited Hill’s “Field of Genes” foundation) acknowledged reaching out to the leading blister-ologist for advice.

“I think any blister issue, Rich Hill is going to be one of the first people on the list (to consult),” Buehler said of his former teammate. “I don’t think that was a far stretch to give Rich a call. We talked about the blister and some other things as well. He’s a great resource. He’s been around this game a long time.”

Buehler said Hill talked to him about “some treatment things to do and just kind of mentally how to handle it.”

“There’s some weird parts about having a blister where you can’t do what you think you can do all the time and things like that,” Buehler said. “Kind of keeping your confidence when you can’t prepare the way you want all the time. Great resource and a guy I miss and I know our clubhouse misses. I’m glad I can give him a ring.”

Buehler gave the Dodgers four innings worth of assurance Thursday. He retired 11 of the 13 batters he faced, allowing a single (erased in a double play) and walking one while striking out six. He threw 65 pitches, fewer than he had during his most recent sim game — but enough to put him down as the starter for Game 1 or 2 (Dodgers manager Dave Roberts still won’t say between Buehler and Clayton Kershaw) of next week’s Wild Card Series.

“Today the stuff was great,” Roberts said. “I probably could have pushed him another inning but I just felt get out right there. … Just to see the stuff the way it was — really impressive, encouraging.

“I think with the layoff you’re always worried about the delivery, the consistency of it, the command of the fastball and all that stuff. All those boxes were certainly checked.”

An infield single by Marcus Semien in the seventh was the A’s only hit off Dylan Floro, Pedro Baez or Blake Treinen. Jake McGee gave up a solo home run to Sean Murphy in the eighth, letting the shutout disappear over the center field wall. Pitching for the first time since Saturday in Denver, Kenley Jansen retired the side in order in the ninth.

The six Dodgers pitchers combined for 16 strikeouts in the win.

Corey Seager had a solo home run off A’s starter Mike Fiers, the eighth home run the Dodgers hit in the three-game series against the AL West leaders. Will Smith went 2 for 4, driving in a run with an RBI single and scoring one of the Dodgers’ three runs in the sixth inning after he doubled. Smith is batting .345 (19 for 55) in 15 games this month with six doubles, two home runs and 10 RBI.