Indians' Carrasco OK after comebacker; scheduled to start Monday

Cleveland Indians right-hander Carlos Carrasco had his start pushed back a day and will now pitch Monday against the Chicago White Sox after taking a liner to his face during Tuesday's game.

Carrasco, originally scheduled to start Sunday's series finale against the Minnesota Twins, avoided a major injury after X-rays came back negative and he was treated only for a jaw contusion following the first-inning comebacker.

After allowing a leadoff single to White Sox outfielder Adam Eaton, Melky Cabrera stepped up to the plate and lined a ball straight back at Carrasco. The pitcher put his glove out and deflected the ball off the left side of his head. 

"That's not a good feeling," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "When he's just laying there, man, that's scary."

Carrasco remained on the field for several minutes before being carted off while holding the left side of his face. Right-hander Zach McAllister came in to pitch in relief. 

(Courtesy: MLB.com)

"That's a tough situation," said McAllister, who logged 3 2/3 innings after Carrasco's departure. "You never want to see anything like that to any type of pitcher on a comebacker. ... Obviously, it was a little bit of a shock, just getting up and getting going right away."

Indians players described it as a miracle that their teammate escaped the incident without suffering a serious injury.

"I can't believe that," Indians outfielder Brandon Moss said. "That nothing is fractured, with where that ball hit him and how it hit him, it's kind of a miracle. That's a scary moment for sure, when a guy gets hit in the face like that and goes down. Luckily, you don't see it too often."