Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Chris Jakubauskas was released from a Houston hospital and was to fly with his team to Milwaukee on Sunday, a day after he was struck in the head by a line drive.
Jakubauskas was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a concussion and head contusion after he was injured by Lance Berkman's liner in the first inning of Saturday's 5-2 loss to the Astros. The ball hit behind his right ear, and he was carted off the field and taken to a hospital.
The 31-year-old right-hander was discharged on Sunday afternoon. Tests showed no skull fracture or internal bleeding, and doctors cleared Jakubauskas to travel with his team to Milwaukee, where the Pirates open a three-game series on Monday.
``That's not the best thing to happen to you, but it's a part of the game,'' he said. ``I'm lucky it got me in a place where it didn't do too much damage. I'm a little tired and woozy, but the pain's gone down and the swelling goes down every time I ice it.''
He rejoined his teammates at Minute Maid Park during Sunday's 10-3 loss to the Astros. He said he never lost consciousness and recalls most of what happened.
``I remember throwing the pitch, I remember asking if it was a glancing blow, and being told that it hit me flush,'' he said. ``The guys were telling me, when I was kicking my feet, I was trying to defer the pain from my body. I have been hit in the chest before, but not in the back of the head.''
The pitcher's parents attended Saturday's game, his first start of the season. He was only recalled from the minors on Friday.
Jakubauskas said Berkman visited him at the hospital after the game. He took several naps on Sunday and said he had 75-80 text messages to answer.
``Been a long day, looking forward to getting out of Houston for a little bit,'' he said. ``Trying to catch up on some sleep, get the rehab process going and hopefully get back on the pretty quick.''
Jakubauskas hopes to resume pitching in two to three weeks. Berkman expressed relief on Sunday that Jakubauskas was OK.
``He seems like he's doing well, doctors' reports are good,'' Berkman said. ``Clearly, that's a tough situation. I hope he recovers quickly.''
The Pirates recalled left-hander Brian Burres from Triple-A Indianapolis before Sunday's series finale and also purchased the contract of right-hander Brian Bass. The team also optioned right-hander Daniel McCutchen to Indianapolis and designated outfielder Brandon Jones for assignment to clear roster space for Bass.
Jakubauskas told Pittsburgh manager John Russell on Sunday that he was feeling better and that the dizziness he experienced on Saturday night had subsided.
``He's doing pretty good,'' Russell said. ``He's feeling OK, a little tired obviously. We were fortunate. It could've been a lot worse. It's looking like it's working out pretty good for him. He was in pretty good spirits.''
Jakubauskas' injury forced Russell to use five relievers in Saturday's 5-2 loss. Burres had just been optioned to the minors on Wednesday. He appeared in two games for Pittsburgh between April 12-21, including one start.
Bass spent the 2009 season with Baltimore and finished second among AL relievers in innings pitched (86 1-3). He was 0-1 with a 4.05 ERA in four appearances with Indianapolis this season.
``It gives us two guys who are capable of pitching long,'' Russell said. ``Just gives us options for multiple innings, but also guys who can do a good job for us. The main thing is the bullpen is pretty taxed. We've got to make sure we've got some coverage.''
Russell said Burres or Bass could start in Los Angeles on Thursday.
Receive your weekly recap of all the happenings around the world of sports.