Puk, recalled from the team's alternate training sit earlier Monday, fired 3.1 scoreless innings during which he allowed a hit and three walks as well as throwing a wild pitch while recording four strikeouts in a loss to the Dodgers.
Starter Frankie Montas was chased after 2.2 innings, leaving manager Bob Melvin in a potential hole after Athletics relievers had already worked 16.2 frames through the first four games. Enter Puk, whose stretched-out arm came in extremely handy, as he notched nine outs on 65 pitches. While the left-hander wasn't anywhere near his sharpest, his ability to handle multiple innings enabled him to serve as a bridge to the seventh in another blowout defeat for Oakland.