Just when you thought the Los Angeles Dodgers organization was getting back on track following the Frank McCourt bankruptcy ordeal two years ago, fate lowered its shoulder and derailed the healing process – literally.

The Dodgers may have won their April 11 matchup against the rival San Diego Padres 3-2, but they have certainly sustained a long-term blow to their pennant chances, as big-money ace Zack Greinke broke his left collarbone in a bench-clearing brawl during the game. Nursing a 2-1 lead with no outs and a 3-2 count in the bottom of the sixth, Greinke hit Padres left fielder Carlos Quentin in the shoulder with a pitch, giving up the walk.

However, what appeared to be just another instance of getting hit by a pitch quickly escalated as Quentin took exception and then proceeded to charge the mound after Greinke appeared to exchange words with him.

Both Greinke and Quentin then lowered their shoulders for impact and brought each other down to the ground as both dugouts cleared, rushing to the defense of their respective players. Following the game, it was discovered that Greinke sustained a break in his left collarbone as a result of his collision with Quentin.

In the words of Quentin, it “was the final straw” in what has emerged as a running feud between the two players, dating back to 2008 when he was with the White Sox and Greinke with the Royals. This is now the third time Greinke has hit Quentin with a pitch, the most times he’s hit a particular player in his career.

While he claims the incident was unintentional and Quentin believes it was premeditated, what is blatantly clear is that the choice words Greinke sent in the direction of Quentin following the pitch is what prompted the storming of the mound.

However, in the eyes of Dodgers manager Don Mattingly, the blame rests solely with Quentin. “We’re in a 2-1 game and on a 3-2 pitch to a guy that I see on the [score]board set a record for the Padres by getting hit, a guy who basically dives into the plate…we’re trying to hit him?” said an enraged Mattingly postgame, “It’s just stupid is what it is.

He should not play a game until Greinke can pitch. If he plays before Greinke pitches, something is wrong.”

Quentin has been administered an eight-game suspension and fined $3,000 by the MLB for his actions, but that won’t cover the timetable that Greinke will be out injured, as he’s expected to miss at least eight weeks to heal his collarbone and clavicle.

Greinke’s injury comes as a major blow for the Dodgers, as they signed the free-agent and former Cy Young award-winner to a lucrative six-year, $147 million contract in the offseason. They had hoped that he and 2011 Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw would spearhead a dominant pitching rotation and return the Dodgers to their winning ways, as a part of NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson and the new ownership’s master plan.

Unfortunately for Los Angeles, it appears they’re going to have to wait on this return to prominence, as they have dropped seven of their last nine games and currently sit fourth in the NL West.