Pirates' Ryan Vogelsong Suffers Left Eye Injury After Hit from Pitch

Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Ryan Vogelsong left PNC Park in an ambulance Monday after being struck in the head by a pitch.

Pirates manager Clint Hurdle smartly replaced Vogelsong with pinch runner Jeff Locke, one of the team's starting pitchers - preventing Pittsburgh from burning a bench player so early in the game.

Former Giants pitcher Ryan Vogelsong was carted off the field Monday after being hit in the head with a pitch.

Ryan Vogelsong being hit by a pitch in this manner could spell trouble for the Pirates (24-19), who are in second place in the National League Central Division, and trying to make headway against the Chicago Cubs (29-13).

Vogelsong, getting the start in the makeup of Sunday's rainout in Pittsburgh, seemed to lose track of a 92-mph fastball from Colorado Rockies starter Jordan Lyles and was struck near the bill of his helmet, near his left eye. Charlie Blackmon hit a two-run double in the fifth, but Boscan closed his outing with an ideal sixth.

"Overall, I was just missing targets and not throwing the quality pitches in the strike zone to get quality guys out", Lyles said. He finished the afternoon 2 for 4 with a pair of singles and scored on a D.J. LeMahieu sacrifice fly in the ninth.

Colorado's Carlos Gonzalez snapped a 0-for-17 streak at the plate. "But then he lost some command and got in bad counts", said manager Walt Weiss, who saw his team fall to 2-4 on the current nine-game road trip. Andrew McCutchen, Gregory Polanco, Starling Marte, David Freese, Josh Harrison, Francisco Cervelli and Wilfredo Boscan all got in on the action. No update is expected until Tuesday. Jorge De La Rosa is scheduled to open the series against Boston's David Price.