Cahill will miss a start

BALTIMORE — Trevor Cahill will miss his scheduled start at Tampa Bay on Saturday, but he could wind up starting twice on the next homestand instead.

As The Chronicle first reported Wednesday, Cahill is dealing with a rhomboid muscle strain in his upper back. Manager Bob Melvin said that Cahill returned to the Bay Area on Thursday for an MRI exam.

“He’s got a little soreness,” Melvin said. “Hopefully, it’s just a muscular thing.”

Cahill’s ERA is 5½ runs higher on the road than at home, 1.49 at the Coliseum and 7.02 elsewhere. Asked about the possibility of Cahill starting twice at home next week if he checks out OK, Melvin said, “Potentially, yeah.”

The A’s are likely to go with an “opener” again Saturday, probably Liam Hendriks, with either Frankie Montas or Chris Bassitt following him and Aaron Brooks also an option if needed.

“Hendriks has done a nice job with it. He’s comfortable with it,” Melvin said.

The A’s have lost 10 starters to 14 injuries over the course of the season, including Cahill with three different issues. Less action for lefty: Ryan Buchter hasn’t allowed a run in 15 of his past 16 outings, but the left-handed reliever might not pitch during the entire road trip — once rosters expand, teams often pinch hit for even their best left-handed batters.

“You see a lot of the left-left matchups going away in September, especially against a team like Tampa,” Melvin said. “It seems like his opportunities come in bunches and he’s prepared for that.”

Buchter, who missed more than a month with a left shoulder strain in the first half, has been one of the team’s best at preventing inherited runners from scoring. Only two of 24 have scored in his outings, none of them since July 21.

“For me, it’s usually just one or two hitters or a time, so I make sure I get my outs or I don’t hurt the team,” he said. “I hate walking guys, but if I have to walk a guy and it doesn’t hurt the team, it’s better than giving up a weak hit or a homer. I’ll just get the guys I have to get and hand it off to the next guy.”