Relief pitcher Brusdar Graterol was activated from the disabled list Tuesday night, one day earlier than scheduled.
That wasn’t the reason the team expected it to happen.
Just before his first appearance, the team announced that their main left-handed relief pitcher had been placed on the disabled list with a fractured left hand.
What caused the injury?
“It was a moment of weakness and frustration,” manager Dave Roberts said, “so he decided to take a firm shot at a goal that would ultimately win the fight.”
That is, Banda hit something in anger after giving up two runs in his Monday night appearance (Roberts wouldn’t say what it was).
“Emotions played a part in last night’s game,” Roberts said. “I know he regrets it, we all regret it, and he’ll learn from it.”
Roberts noted that Banda, who was acquired from the minor leagues midseason and has played a key role in the Dodgers’ relief corps, has only a minor fracture in his throwing hand and is expected to return before the end of the season.
“He’s not going to be able to pitch for a couple of days,” Roberts said, “and then hopefully we’ll have him back.”
Banda, who has a 3.23 ERA in 46 games this year, was not present when reporters entered the Dodgers clubhouse after the game.
Graterol missed last month with a hamstring strain in his season debut Aug. 6, but that game was postponed because of a shoulder injury he suffered during spring training and was initially expected to return Wednesday.
The right-hander was injured in his only appearance of the season and was initially thought to miss the rest of the season, but he returned to take the loss, pitching nine scoreless innings and allowing just two hits, with his fastball reaching 99 mph.
“You look at the quality of contact he’s been getting, and I certainly don’t think he’s hitting the ball as sharply as he should,” Roberts said of Graterol, who has been the Dodgers’ top setup man the past few years, “but that’s a factor. We’ve got time with Brusdar to get some sharper hits.”
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