Royals' Escobar hit in head by pitch

CLEVELAND (AP) Kansas City Royals shortstop Alcides Escobar suffered a bruised left cheek when he was hit in the head by a pitch from Cleveland's Danny Salazar in the fifth inning on Wednesday.

Escobar was hit in the left side of the helmet and dropped to the ground immediately as two Royals trainers rushed on the field.

Escobar stayed down for several moments before being moved into a sitting position. He walked to the dugout with help from the trainers and was taken to the clubhouse.

The Royals said Escobar was removed for precautionary reasons and further evaluation.

Salazar was upset over the incident and patted his hand in his glove as Escobar left the field. Kansas City's Mike Moustakas, the on-deck hitter, knelt down while several Indians in the field looked on in concern.

Kansas City pitcher Yordano Ventura, who was ejected from his last two starts and is facing a seven-game suspension, didn't retaliate in the bottom of the inning.