Pain Too Much for Strawberry : Dodgers: Shoulder injury forces him to go on the 15-day disabled list.

In a quiet Dodger Stadium hallway early Tuesday afternoon, Darryl Strawberry’s voice contained the same strong emotion found in those speeches he gave upon joining the Dodgers seven months ago.

Only this time, that emotion was pain.

“Last night I could not sleep, the shoulder throbbed all night, it was so bad it kept waking me up,” he said softly. “The shoulder . . . it has destroyed my whole swing.

“This is one the hardest things I have been through as a ballplayer. I’m practically crying about it.”

Several hours later, the Dodgers announced that Strawberry had been placed on the 15-day disabled list because of inflammation in the joint in his left shoulder.

He separated the shoulder May 15, but played two nights later, and has played in 20 of 30 games since. After extensive examinations, team doctors have decided that the only cure will be rest.

“We’re hopeful that rest will resolve the problem,” said Fred Claire, Dodger vice president.

The Dodgers will fill his starting spot with an informal platoon of Chris Gwynn and Stan Javier, who entered Tuesday with a combined batting average of .216 with one home run and 11 runs batted in during 21 combined starts.

“I came back too soon from my injury, I tried too hard,” said Strawberry, who is on the disabled list for only the second time in his nine major league seasons. “The only good thing about this is that maybe I can look forward to coming back by the start of the second half of the season and being healthy.”

Said Lasorda: “A tremendous loss. We are going to miss him terribly.”

Some might wonder how Lasorda could be serious, considering Strawberry was hitting only .224 with seven homers and 26 RBIs, statistics that project to career lows in all categories.

But there are other statistics that show Lasorda is serious.

Eddie Murray and Kal Daniels, who follow Strawberry in the middle of the Dodgers’ batting order, have recorded more than 85% of their hits and RBIs while Strawberry has been in the game.

Strawberry hasn’t offered many dramatics--he has only two homers at Dodger Stadium--but he has been on base enough to be tied for eighth in the National League with 39 runs scored.

“I don’t care how he is doing, he is always an intimidating guy to have in the lineup,” Gary Carter said. “You know, and the other team knows, that at any time, he can lose the ball. That means a lot through the course of a game and a season.”

Said Strawberry: “I don’t like using excuses, so I have tried not to talk about the shoulder, but I’m getting tired of not feeling good. I’m getting tired of always saying, ‘Man, when is this going to heal?’ ”

The Dodgers have recalled third baseman Dave Hansen from Albuquerque to fill Strawberry’s roster spot. Hansen was batting .318 with five homers and 40 RBIs.