Worrell Hurt as Dodgers Beat Marlins : Baseball: Team isn’t sure how long reliever will be sidelined. McDowell saves 4-2 victory for Gross.

Todd Worrell, throwing in the ninth inning Wednesday night with the most velocity he has shown all spring, felt a pull in his forearm with two outs and left the game.

It was a solemn ending to the Dodgers’ 4-2 victory over the Florida Marlins. Worrell had two strikeouts and was one out away from earning his second save in as many nights when trainer Charlie Strasser was summoned to the mound. Worrell left the game and was replaced by Roger McDowell, who earned the save by getting Bret Barberie to ground out. Kevin Gross pitched six innings to earn the victory.

Worrell’s injury has been diagnosed as a strained right forearm. He will have a magnetic resonance imaging exam today in Atlanta to determine if he suffered any damage to the elbow in which he had surgery in 1989. Dodger officials, not knowing the extent of the injury, are saying it could be days or weeks before he is able to throw again.

The Dodgers open a four-game series against the Braves tonight.

Worrell, whom the Dodgers signed in December for three years at $9.5 million, also had rotator cuff surgery in 1991. He spent this spring recovering from tendinitis in his shoulder.

After he was examined by Marlin doctor Dan Kanell, Worrell said he felt emotionally numbed.

“I felt the best tonight that I have felt all spring,” Worrell said. “I had my location right and I was cutting the ball loose and throwing it over the plate. I felt the pull after I threw a fastball to Barberie, then I threw a changeup.

“There is a possibility that this could be a tight (stitch) from my elbow surgery that pulled loose. That would be the best-case scenario.”

“I’ve told you all along how valuable this guy is to our club,” Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda said, obviously disappointed. “This guy is our bread and butter pitcher, he is key to our club.”

Kanell said he is doubtful that there has been any damage to Worrell’s elbow, but he immediately huddled with Dodger trainer Bill Buhler and Dodger Executive Vice President Fred Claire and phoned a hospital in Atlanta to set up the MRI exam. Claire said he would try to reach Frank Jobe, the Dodger orthopedist who performed both of Worrell’s surgeries. Jobe is in Augusta, Ga., attending the Masters tournament.

If the Dodgers lose Worrell for some time, they may look to Jim Gott, who has pitched four scoreless innings the last two games to set up Worrell. They also have the option of calling up Pedro Martinez from Albuquerque and will probably step up their search for a left-handed reliever.

“This is a different club to pitch in front of now,” Gott said. “We have Jody Reed jumping up like Spud Webb and Mike Piazza throwing runners out from his knees. Jose Offerman is snagging balls and making plays. I had great stuff Tuesday night and not so great stuff tonight, but it doesn’t matter because these guys are making the plays.”

In the seventh inning, Piazza threw out Junior Felix at second base from his knees to end the inning.

“I talked to Benito Santiago about it before the game and he gave me some tips,” Piazza said. “It was instinct.”

The Dodgers aren’t getting timely hits. Wednesday night they had a 3-2 lead for three innings, twice stranding runners in scoring position before finally getting their insurance run on a wild pitch by Bob McClure in the ninth inning.

Brett Butler scored the Dodgers’ first run in the first on a single by Eric Davis and they added two more runs in the third inning when Darryl Strawberry and Davis, who had singled, scored on a single to left by Eric Karros.

“It’s like a peek show, we get some hits and then we force it,” Davis said. “But the main thing right now is that we are winning games. I’m going to be optimistic about Worrell and hold my breath and wait ‘til the morning until we know what is up. I’m going to be optimistic.”