Wednesday afternoon, in a game against the Giants, Dodgers outfielder Andre Ethier slid into second base. Players slide into second base all the time without incident, but Ethier had to be removed. The outfielder had hurt himself, and Dodgers fans held their breath, or crossed their fingers, or both.
We have word now on Ethier's injury, and the news isn't great:
Ethier left the game with a left oblique strain.
— Dylan Hernandez (@dylanohernandez) June 27, 2012
Ethier didn't snap any bones or tear any ligaments or anything, but oblique strains pretty much always lead to stints on the disabled list. The Dodgers haven't made a move yet, of course, but it would be a surprise if Ethier didn't land on the DL. Oblique strains suck, and oblique strains nag. They need their time to get better.
It would be one thing if the Dodgers weren't already playing without injured outfielder Matt Kemp. But, about that ...
Ethier came into play on Wednesday with a .291 average and a 132 OPS+. He and Kemp are the two Dodgers with double-digit home-run totals.