Albert Pujols’ hamstring injury does not appear to be serious

Angels slugger Albert Pujols will miss at least a few games because of a tight left hamstring, an injury he suffered in the sixth inning of Wednesday night’s 6-3 victory over the Oakland Athletics, but Manager Mike Scioscia is “not anticipating” that Pujols will go on the disabled list.

“There’s definitely some soreness in there, but he didn’t feel a pop -- it’s more like a cramp,” Scioscia said. “We’re definitely going to err on the side of caution, so we took him out of the game. We’ll see how it sets up in a day or two, but right now, we’re optimistic he won’t be out too long.”

Pujols, the team’s No. 3 hitter, blooped a single to shallow center field to lead off the sixth but clutched his hamstring four or five steps out of the batter’s box. The injury is not considered serious enough to send Pujols for an MRI test.

“It’s weird because I don’t have that much history on the hamstring,” Pujols said. “It feels more like a cramp, but it’s really sore right now. We’ll see how it feels tomorrow.”

Pujols is batting .208 with three homers and nine runs batted in this season and has started 19 of 21 games at first base. When he returns, he will probably start at designated hitter a little more often. Scioscia will like move Mike Trout from the second to third spot in the order while Pujols is out.

“It’s tough losing Albert, he’s one of our big guys,” said Trout, who hit a solo home run and a two-run double Wednesday night. “Hopefully, it’s just a cramp.”