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OAKLAND, Calif. -- Tim Hudson was involved in a minor confrontation at a Boston bar on Friday night, but the Oakland Athletics said it didn't cause the injury that limited him to one inning in his start two days later.

	Hudson

A's manager Ken Macha told ESPN on Monday that Hudson and left-hander Barry Zito were signing autographs at the bar on the night before Game 3 of Oakland's Division Series against the Red Sox.

The players and Hudson's brother had to be separated from several Red Sox fans after a confrontation, but Hudson told Macha no punches were thrown. Hudson wasn't on the field before Game 5 on Monday night, and players usually aren't available to reporters before playoff games.

"I think it's a non-issue," Macha said earlier Monday. "He's sitting there, and he's amazed at what this thing has been blown out to. It's a non-issue."

The San Francisco Chronicle quoted unidentified sources Monday describing a wild brawl at Q, a Faneuil Hall-area bar/dance club, between Hudson and several patrons. The bar's manager, Noel Gentelles, denied the reports to The Associated Press.

"That's all blown out," Gentelles said. "Tim Hudson was here, but there was no fight. There wasn't a fight at all."

However, a Q security guard, who spoke to the Chronicle on the condition his name not be used, called the incident "a big melee" and said Hudson "was throwing haymakers."

"It was five minutes of mayhem," the security guard said.

According to witnesses at Q, Zito took a seat at the bar, while Hudson was standing in front of the bar in a different area.

It was there, the witnesses said, that Hudson was confronted by a young man who made an obscene gesture in Hudson's face and verbally attacked the pitcher. Hudson "laughed it off," sources said, but the patron persisted. Hudson then made an obscene gesture at the young man, who proceeded to spray Hudson with beer. It was then that punches flew. It is unclear from the witnesses who threw the first punch, though one witness said it was Hudson.

Hudson left Game 4 before the second inning with a strained muscle in his left side. He underwent an MRI in Oakland on Monday before Game 5, and was scheduled to be examined by team doctor Jerrald Goldman.

The A's didn't rule Hudson out of a relief appearance in the decisive game if he showed significant improvement.

"He said he got hurt on the mound, and that's all I believe," A's trainer Larry Davis said. "If Tim says he can't go, you assume that's a significant amount of pain. He's very unhappy this happened to him. You get angry with your body because it's not doing what you want it to."

Hudson won 16 games this season as one of the AL's top starters, but he has a history of postseason struggles. He has won just once in six playoff starts, and he got a no-decision in Game 1 despite leaving with a one-run lead after 6 2/3 innings.

Last October, he had a similar problem with strained muscles while going winless with a 6.23 ERA in two starts against Minnesota.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.