Embarrassing Dodgers injury puts pitching staff in worse spot with postseason approaching

The last time we saw Anthony Banda, he came in behind Walker Buehler's five-inning, four-run outing in the top of the sixth, adopting runners on the corners from the fading star right-hander. Banda was quick to get a fifth run added to Buehler's tab for the night, giving up an RBI single to Michael Busch on just his second pitch thrown. Max Muncy made a nice unassisted double play to put Banda just one hitter away from closing out the inning but, of course, he didn't.

Pete Crow-Armstrong singled, then Miguel Amaya singled to bring in Busch and Crow-Armstrong. Banda finally got out of it with an Ian Happ lineout, but the score was 7-2.

Ahead of Tuesday's game, the Dodgers reinstated Brusdar Graterol from the IL a day earlier than expected and transferred Banda to the IL with a left hand fracture.

How he sustained the injury will make Dodgers fans want to follow suit. After his rough outing on Sept. 9, he punched what Dave Roberts called "a solid object" in "a moment of weakness and frustration." Roberts said it was it was something "that I know he regrets, we all regret. And he’ll learn from it.”

Anthony Banda breaks his hand in the worst possible way as Dodgers pitching staff is hobbled again

Banda was a surprise success story with the Dodgers, having been traded to LA from the Guardians in May after signing a minor-league deal with Cleveland. He was quickly promoted to the majors just a couple days after the trade when Ricky Vanasco and JP Feyereisen were sent down, and he's remained a steady presence in the bullpen through all of the Dodgers' shuffles.

He was steady through May and June, but started to run into some struggles in July that carried over into August, posting a 4.00+ ERA during both months. His Sept. 9 outing wasn't even his worst; he gave up four hits and four runs in a single inning on Aug. 30.

Luckily, the Dodgers bullpen has enjoyed more returns lately than they've sustained losses to injury. Graterol pitched the top of the ninth on Tuesday, giving up two hits but not allowing a run to score. At least this way, the Dodgers didn't have to make any roster decisions to accommodate Graterol.

Still, this was an utterly stupid way for the Dodgers to lose a pitcher, presumably for the rest of the regular season. It wouldn't be surprising if they hit Banda with a swift DFA even when he's healthy. He'll definitely learn from that.