SARASOTA, Fla. - Baltimore Orioles designated hitter Nelson Cruz left Thursday night's game against Tampa Bay in the fourth inning after he was hit in the helmet by a pitch from Alex Cobb.

Alex Cobb on hitting Cruz: “I don’t want to make excuses, but it slipped a little bit. It was a curveball and just got away from me.” — Roch Kubatko (@masnRoch) March 28, 2014

Cruz fell after being hit on the first pitch, but quickly got up. He immediately walked off the field after being attended to by team trainers.