LOS ANGELES -- There are plenty of adjectives that can be used to describe the Dodgers on Friday night.
One is emotional. It was an emotional clubhouse following their 8-2 loss to the Cubs.
Dan Haren stood in front of his locker with a blank stare. Emotional, upset, disappointed, and sad for his teammate and fellow pitcher, Paul Maholm.
Just moments after Haren addressed the media, Maholm walked through the Dodgers clubhouse on crutches with a large, black, brace on his right knee.
He had no words. He didn't know what to say. Emotional and, perhaps, still in a state of shock, he was on his way to have an MRI.
Maholm was injured in the seventh inning Friday night. While running to cover the bag on a grounder to first Maholm took the ball from Scott Van Slyke, touched the bag and fell to the ground rolling over in pain. All of the Dodgers position players who were in the game at the time along with the Dodgers training staff went over to check on him as he rolled on the turf holding his right knee while in foul territory on the first base side.
Maholm was able to walk off the field under his own strength but the scene in the Dodgers clubhouse following the game told a different story.
"It's pretty serious, it seems like," Mattingly said of Maholm's injury.
Added Haren: "His injury seems like it's pretty bad so I feel terrible for him."
Maholm pitched two innings of relief Friday night surrendering two hits and one earned run. The last out he recorded was the final out of the Cubs half of the seventh inning.
Although his injury appears to be the most serious, he wasn't the only Dodger to leave the game with an injury Friday. Adrian Gonzalez left in the third inning with a right-knee contusion. After scoring on an impressive slide in the sixth inning, Yasiel Puig left the game with mild left hamstring soreness. They're both day-to-day.
.@TheJeffBridges bowled the first pitch today, and The Dude showed he’s still got it. http://t.co/yMiZ1ZeQey #Strike
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) August 2, 2014
As for Haren, he blames himself for Maholm's injury. Had he been able to stay in the game the injury to Maholm wouldn't have occured, he feels. Instead Haren's first start in August was eerily similar to his starts in July and that's not the production he or the Dodgers are seeking.
Haren lasted just 4 1/3 innings, gave up eight hits, seven runs -- six were earned -- two two walks, and struck out three.
As a result, he fell to 0-5 with a 10.02 ERA in his last five starts.
