Ramirez expected to be ready to play next week

The Dodgers received mixed news on Hanley Ramirez on Friday.

There’s nothing wrong with the hamstring that tightened on him Thursday and prompted his early removal from the game that night. But Ramirez has an irritated nerve in his back, which is the source of the discomfort in his left leg.

The Dodgers issued a written statement in which they said Ramirez “is expected to be available to play next week,� indicating they expect him to be sidelined for at least the remainder of the Giants series.

Ramirez spent 15 days on the disabled list in 2011 with a similar problem. An MRI exam taken of his back Thursday looked similar to the one taken of the area two years ago, according to the Dodgers.

Ramirez, who received a cortisone injection, was replaced at shortstop Friday by Nick Punto.

Even before Manager Don Mattingly knew the result of the exam, he said Ramirez would “definitely� get more days off.

“The biggest thing is not letting it get anywhere,� Mattingly said. “We’re trying to be on the cautious side. We don’t want to take anything for granted, but we are sitting here with a fairly big lead and don’t want to do anything that would jeopardize him.�

Ramirez started experiencing tightness in his left hamstring long before Thursday, when he was removed in the seventh inning of the Dodgers’ 3-2, 10-inning victory over the Giants. He landed on the disabled list with a strained hamstring in May and was sidelined for a month.

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LGBT night

Thirteen years after a lesbian couple was kicked out of Dodger Stadium for French kissing, the Dodgers will host their first LGBT Night Out on Sept. 27.

The Dodgers announced the event in a news release that never specified that LGBT stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender.

The team has hosted themed nights for various groups at the ballpark this season, including Christians, Mormons, Jews, Cuban and Koreans. On those nights, the Dodgers designate certain seating sections as specially themed.

Tickets are available at www.dodgers.com/out.

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Wilson on his win

Brian Wilson downplayed earning the victory over his former team Thursday.

Wilson pitched a scoreless 10th inning, after which Adrian Gonzalez drove in Carl Crawford for the deciding run in the 3-2 victory. The game was Wilson’s first against the Giants, with whom he had played his entire career until this year.

“I used to face them in spring training,� Wilson said. “It’s another team. I’m going to go out and get three outs. I didn’t put any added pressure or any emotion in the inning.�

Wilson’s fastball touched 95 mph. “I’d like to throw 110, been working on that,� Wilson said. Turning serious, he said, “I just wanted to throw up a couple, you know? People know nothing’s wrong, right?�

Wilson underwent elbow surgery last year.

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Kemp update

Matt Kemp graduated from running on an anti-gravity machine to running curves on grass at the Dodgers’ spring-training complex in Arizona. He reported no problems.

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