DENVER -- In a scary scene at Coors Field, Rockies pitcher Juan Nicasio exited the game on a stretcher after taking a line drive off the right side of his head in the second inning.

Nicasio, who was hit by a screamer off the bat of Washington's Ian Desmond, laid still on the mound -- surrounded by Rockies' trainers and medical personnel -- for about five minutes before being loaded onto a stretcher. His neck was stabilized in a brace and he was carted off the field.

Nicasio, 24, was moving his hands and appeared to be talking to team personnel before he was taken off the field, receiving pats on the stomach from teammates and Rockies manager Jim Tracy.


Juan Nicasio exited the game on a stretcher in the second inning after taking a line drive off the right side of his head. (Getty Images)
There was no immediate report on Nicasio's condition.

Right-handed reliever Edgmer Escalona replaced Nicasio, who gave up a pair of runs in the first inning.