CHICAGO -- After salvaging the series finale against the Cubs, the Mets prepared to head to Los Angeles for a four-game series at Dodger Stadium.

And although players were far more fixated in the visitors' clubhouse postgame at Wrigley Field on the Spain-Portugal soccer shootout on one television, rather than the Giants-Dodgers game playing on another, Terry Collins already was aware of a development in the latter.

Andre Ethier (.291, 10 HR, 55 RBIs) suffered a left oblique injury during Wednesday's game, the Dodgers announced. He departed after sliding into second base on a double play in the first inning. He was replaced in right field by Elian Herrera. L.A. already is without slugger Matt Kemp (.355, 12 HR), who has been sidelined since suffering a strained left hamstring on May 30.

“When we lost our players, teams that play you, they don’t feel sorry for you,” Collins said. “As a matter of fact, this is when you’ve got to take advantage of them, because the next time we play them they’ll have those guys."