MILWAUKEE -- Noah Syndergaard's return to the mound was short-lived on Tuesday night due to a blister on his right index finger that may necessitate a trip to the injured list.

Syndergaard, who was making his first start in over a week, exited the Dodgers’ 6-2 win over the Brewers at American Family Field after one inning due to the injury.

“Certainly, the IL is a possibility,” manager Dave Roberts said. “But we want to give Noah and the training staff some time before we make that decision.”

Syndergaard said the blister initially popped up a few weeks ago during a bullpen session. It opened up during pregame warmups in the ‘pen before Tuesday’s game, and the Dodgers’ training staff put Dermabond on it to seal it up.

With a quick turnaround to first pitch, the finger didn’t have enough time to dry, and it started bleeding.

“It doesn’t really affect me pain-wise,” Syndergaard said. “I just think my finger catches a seam or the opposing thumbnail might be causing an issue. Not quite sure. I warmed up fine in the bullpen, then went to use the restroom before the game and looked down, and my hand was bleeding pretty good. Tried to do what we could to make it serviceable.

“But it got to the point where it was probably going to continue to open up. It doesn’t really bother me. It was moreso that the blood was causing a grip issue.”

Syndergaard walked off the mound with a trainer before throwing a pitch to reapply the DermaBond. He came back and threw a scoreless first inning, though that was as far as he went before the Dodgers pulled him.

“The padding of the index finger just started bleeding, scabbing,” Roberts said. “It was pretty much raw as I looked at it. So, we tried to kind of mend it. Didn't take so he couldn't obviously go any further.

“It was pretty nasty,” Roberts added. “It was raw. Even in that first inning, there were numerous pitches that he threw that had blood residue on it, so he was willing to keep trying to go, but to what end? There's still an effectiveness part of it.”

Roberts said the finger issue was not a factor in the Dodgers pushing back Syndergaard’s turn in the rotation. They gave him extra time between starts after his 5 1/3-inning outing against the Cardinals on April 30 -- his first victory for Los Angeles.

“He's pitched with it, but we've had it covered up,” Roberts said. “So it didn't play a part.”

But whether he’ll continue to pitch with it is to be determined. Roberts said the Dodgers will know more in the coming days, and Syndergaard was optimistic he won’t have to go on the IL.

“I don’t think so,” Syndergaard said. “I guess we’ll just have to take it day by day. Evaluate tomorrow. Won’t know anything until I attempt to throw a baseball.”

While Syndergaard’s early exit set up a tough task for the bullpen, seven Los Angeles relievers stepped up to limit Milwaukee to a pair of runs, four hits and three walks in eight innings. The only damage came on a pair of solo homers off Shelby Miller in the seventh inning.

Phil Bickford, Justin Bruihl, Yency Almonte, Victor Gonzalez, Miller, Brusdar Graterol and Evan Phillips followed Syndergaard, in that order.

“They did a great job, every one of them” catcher Will Smith said. “Had the two solo homers, that happens. But even Shelby threw really well, other than those two swings. All those guys came out.

“We didn't know it was going to be a bullpen game, but they adapted. Phil was huge in those first two innings. They saved the game for us.”

It’s part of a larger trend for the Dodgers’ bullpen. Entering Tuesday, the unit ranked fifth in MLB in ERA (2.75) since April 26, and a chunk of that is inflated by the six runs allowed in Monday’s series opener.

“They continue to work hard,” Smith said. “They continue to fine-tune their craft. They’re all elite pitchers. They're here for a reason, they should succeed and that's what they're doing.”

Tuesday may put the Dodgers in a tricky spot for Wednesday’s series finale, but they do have ace Clayton Kershaw taking the mound.

“The bullpen was fantastic,” Roberts said. “It’s a tough spot going into tomorrow. But what they gave us tonight was huge.”