LOS ANGELES -- Starling Marte left the Pirates' 8-4 loss to the Dodgers on Saturday in the middle of the seventh inning with upper back discomfort.Marte said after the game his back was "just a little sore, a little tight" and he will receive treatment before Sunday's series finale at

LOS ANGELES -- Starling Marte left the Pirates' 8-4 loss to the Dodgers on Saturday in the middle of the seventh inning with upper back discomfort.

Marte said after the game his back was "just a little sore, a little tight" and he will receive treatment before Sunday's series finale at Dodger Stadium.

The circumstances behind Marte's sudden exit were more unusual than the injury itself.

Marte had been moved from left to center field. Matt Joyce pinch-hit in the top of the seventh and remained in the game in left, giving manager Clint Hurdle a chance to get Andrew McCutchen off his feet with the Pirates down by five runs and shift Marte to center.

But Marte couldn't begin the bottom of the seventh, as head athletic trainer Todd Tomczyk came out to check on him. He was replaced in center field by Sean Rodríguez , and the Pirates effectively lost two players in one lineup change.

"Obviously it didn't come up before the switch, or we would have thought about going the other way," Hurdle said. "It came after he'd been on base. He said something to [first-base coach Nick Leyva] much later, after I'd already made the switch at home plate."

Marte showed no signs of discomfort before leaving the game, but he said he felt sore before the game and tried to play through it. The Pirates' training staff noticed it was affecting him during the seventh inning, he said.

Marte singled to left in the top of the seventh and was stranded there when McCutchen lined out to third base.

"Just trying to play through the game, it got worse and worse until I agreed that I should exit the game," Marte said through interpreter Mike Gonzalez.