Ray OK after being struck in head by liner
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ST. LOUIS -- D-backs left-hander Robbie Ray was back resting at the team hotel Friday night after taking a line drive off the left side of his head in the second inning of the D-backs' 1-0 loss.
Cardinals first baseman Luke Voit hit a ball 108.1 mph that hit Ray flush in the head and careened into foul ground by third base, where Daniel Descalso made a diving play on it for the out.
Ray immediately dropped to the ground holding his head as D-backs medical personnel tended to him. Arizona infielders and Voit surrounded the mound and took a knee. Trainers held a towel to the side of Ray's head where there was blood.
"It happened so fast," Descalso said. "I knew the ball hit Robbie somewhere and popped up in the air, and I just went after it, caught it and then tried to go check on him as fast as I could. Everything happened so fast, I didn't realize it hit him in the head."
Ray was moved into a sitting position and then helped onto a motorized cart. The crowd at Busch Stadium gave him a standing ovation, and he waved in appreciation.
"Those are things you never forget," D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said. "I got out there and he was on his back and his eyes were open. That was the first thing that I saw, and I was very grateful for that. Knowing he was able to answer questions and [assistant athletic trainer Ryan DiPanfilo] got out there as fast as he could. I knew we were in good hands."
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Ray underwent a CT scan at a local hospital, which checked out well according to Lovullo, and needed some stitches in his head. Ray then returned to the ballpark to shower before heading back to the team hotel.
Ray was entered into Major League Baseball's concussion protocol and will be evaluated.
It was an emotional night for the D-backs, who were more worried about the health of their teammate than the loss.
Reliever Archie Bradley was one of those most affected. The right-hander was hit in the face by a line drive off the bat of Carlos González two years ago. He was sitting in the bullpen when Ray got hit.
"It made me sick to my stomach," Bradley said. "Heart started beating fast, stomach started hurting. Especially when you're that close with a guy, baseball really goes out the window. Robbie's got a family, wife and a kid watching the game at home, and that's where my head was. You forget about the game. You forget about everything else.
"I was just kind of waiting to hear what the word and status of Robbie was."
Voit was visibly shaken by what had happened, and he stayed near the pitcher's mound until Ray was put on the cart. He had to change his jersey before the start of the next inning because he had gotten Ray's blood on it when he gave him a hug.
This is not the first time this year that Voit has seen a pitcher get hit in head. He was a teammate of Daniel Poncedeleon at Triple-A Memphis when Poncedeleon was struck in the head by a line drive and had to have surgery to relieve the pressure around his brain.
"I sent him a tweet and [send] best wishes to his family and friends," Voit said. "It's scary. Role reversal, that could happen to me when I'm being pitched to. I just hope he can continue pitching for the rest of the year. It's a scary situation. I don't wish that on anyone."
The D-backs were relieved when word was passed through the dugout and bullpen late in the game that Ray was doing well.