Dodgers place Hill on 10-day DL with blister on hand

DENVER >> Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Rich Hill was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a blister on the middle finger of his pitching hand.

The 37-year-old lefthander spent more than a month on the DL last season while dealing with blisters on his fingers.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said it was “not a big issue” before Friday’s game against the Colorado Rockies: “For us, just to kind of get ahead of it and knowing what we learned from last year, it just made sense. Throughout spring training, his (preseason) start in Anaheim, there was nothing. And so I don’t know if it was a little deviation in his pregame.”

Hill felt discomfort late in Wednesday’s 3-1 win over San Diego and was taken out after he allowed two hits and one run in five innings. His next scheduled start was Monday in Chicago. Roberts did not say would take Hill’s place, but mentioned relievers Ross Stripling or Alex Wood.

Right-handed reliever Josh Fields was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City to take Hill’s spot on the roster.

Flu bug bites Red Sox

DETROIT >> Hanley Ramirez and Mookie Betts were out of the Boston lineup Friday because of a flu bug that has hit the Red Sox hard in this first week of the season.

Boston also put lefthander Robbie Ross on the 10-day disabled list Thursday because of the flu. That move was retroactive to Monday.

Betts, Ross and Brock Holt all sat out Wednesday’s win over Pittsburgh because of illness. Holt was in the starting lineup Friday at Detroit as the designated hitter.

Boston was also without shortstop Xander Bogaerts and reliever Matt Barnes. They are on the bereavement list because of a family death.

Angels place Richards on DL

ANAHEIM >> The Los Angeles Angels placed righthander Garrett Richards on the 10-day disabled list Friday with a strained right biceps.

Richards and the Angels are cautiously confident the injury isn’t a sign of something bigger.

Richards missed most of last season with a partially torn elbow ligament, but chose rest and stemcell injections over Tommy John surgery. He made it through spring training solidly, but left his seasonopening start at Oakland in the fifth inning Wednesday with pain in his arm.