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Carlos Carrasco leaves game after being hit in the face by a line drive

Chris Cwik
·Staff writer

Cleveland Indians starter Carlos Carrasco left Tuesday's game in the first inning after being hit in the face by a line drive.

On his eighth pitch of the contest, Carrasco was struck with a line drive off the bat of Melky Cabrera. Carrasco fell to the dirt, and was immediately surrounded by teammates and trainers. Cabrera also joined the group, and seemed shaken after the play.

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Carrasco raised his hand as the ball came near him, and may have slightly deflected the blow with his fingers. It wasn't enough to slow the ball in a significant way, and Carrasco took the brunt of the blow to the face.

After a few minutes, Carrasco was able to sit up. He was alert, and appeared to be responsive to questions. He was able to walk over to the cart, and was taken off the field. Carrasco continued to hold the left side of his face as he was leaving the field and was in a lot of pain.

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The severity of Carrasco's injury is not known at this time. He is currently being evaluated by the team's medical staff.

Update: Carrasco is being treated for a jaw contusion. The team does not believe he has a concussion or head injury at this time.

The 28-year-old Carrasco enjoyed a breakout season in 2014 after adjusting his approach on the mound. He signed a four-year, $22 million extension with the club during the offseason, and was expected to slot in behind Corey Kluber as the team's No. 2 starter.

Major League Baseball has introduced protective headgear for pitchers in recent seasons, but the special caps are not popular yet. The league stressed the issue after a number of pitchers were hit in the face in recent years. Dodgers starter Brandon McCarthy has been vocal about headgear in the past, but has said the current versions are not up to standard.

McCarthy was struck in the face with a pitch in 2012. In recent seasons, J.A. Happ and Alex Cobb have missed time after being hit in the head with line drives.

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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik