Chris Capuano injury: Dodgers LHP leaves game in 2nd inning

Chris Capuano retired five of the six batters he faced on Friday night against the Reds, but the Dodgers left-handed pitcher left is start in Cincinnati with two outs in the second inning after suffering a mild left groin strain, per the Prime Ticket broadcast.

Capuano struck out Todd Frazier for the second out of the second inning but then summoned catcher Tim Federowicz and trainer Sue Falsone to the mound, along with manager Don Mattingly and pitching coach Rick Honeycutt. After throwing a warm-up pitch Capuano was removed from the game.

It was unclear at first exactly what Capuano hurt, but he was stretching his lower body. He missed three weeks earlier in the season with a strained left calf.

Peter Moylan entered in relief of Capuano and struck out Zack Cozart to end the second inning. That was the only batter he would face, as Moylan was replaced by pinch hitter Dee Gordon in the top of the third inning.

Stephen Fife, 4-3 with a 2.47 ERA in nine starts for the Dodgers this season, started the third inning on the mound for the Dodgers. It's his first major league relief appearance, and his first appearance with the Dodgers since Aug. 4. Fife was recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque on Sunday.

How this affects the Dodgers' rotation will depend on what the injury to Capuano is, exactly. But it sounds like he will have some time to heal, per Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register.

#Dodgers tentative plan was to give Edinson Volquez another start on Tue with Hyun-Jin Ryu back in rotation Wed. So Capuano has time to heal

— Bill Plunkett (@billplunkettocr) September 6, 2013