SAN FRANCISCO -- Giants manager Bruce Bochy received a bit of bad news Sunday morning when the Giants announced that starting pitcher Kevin Correia was being placed on the 15-day disabled list.

Correia, who threw just nine pitches in Saturday night's loss to the Reds, exited the game after feeling a pull in his left side and underwent an MRI after the game. On Sunday, the MRI revealed a left intercostal strain that according to Bochy may sideline the pitcher for a month.

According to Bochy, the injury to Correia is a concern because it usually takes awhile to fully heal and can be reinjured if not properly taken care of. Last season, San Diego Padres starting pitcher Chris Young suffered a similar oblique strain and missed five weeks.

"I'd say it's going to take close to a month," Bochy said. "The MRI showed a pretty good oblique strain, so it's going to be awhile. It's one of those injuries that won't just subside; you have to get completely rid of it."

Correia, who said he has never pulled a muscle in his career, said he felt the pain on the first pitch to the second batter of the game. Correia, who is 1-3 with a 4.50 ERA in five starts this season, said he didn't feel bad Sunday morning and is hoping he can return to the rotation as soon as possible.

"I don't feel that bad where I feel like this injury is going to take that long to heal," Correia said. "They [the Giants trainers] don't want to push it, so we're going to be cautious."

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The injury to Correia comes at bad time for the Giants, who are still without the services of Noah Lowry and have been dependent on strong outings from their starting pitchers. Correia said he was more upset with the timing of the injury because the team had started to get on a roll.

"This really is a blow to the team because the starters have been doing so well," Bochy said. "I think Kevin has been throwing the ball well, so that's a pretty big hit."

With Correia going on the DL, the Giants recalled left-handed pitcher Pat Misch, who according to Bochy can start or help the team out of the bullpen. Misch pitched in 18 games for the Giants last season and went 0-4 with a 4.18 ERA. The lefty, who was scheduled to make a start for Triple- A Fresno on Sunday, will be available out of the bullpen.

The good news for the Giants is that the team has two off-days coming up, which could allow Bochy to use a four-man rotation until May 10. Bochy said he will probably use Misch out of the bullpen as a long reliever until the team is forced to make a decision on a fifth starter.

"The nice thing about Patrick is he gives us another left-hander and he can be a long guy out of the bullpen," Bochy said.