Pittsburgh Pirates' Jordy Mercer leaves with ailing head, ear

PITTSBURGH -- Pirates shortstop Jordy Mercer was pulled from Pittsburgh's Sunday night game against the Dodgers after inadvertently being clipped in the head by Los Angeles second baseman Chase Utley's knee in the first inning.

Mercer singled leading off the Pirates' first, but his head bumped against Utley's knee while sliding into second on David Freese's grounder. As Mercer went to one knee, apparently a bit woozy, Utley leaned down to talk with him.

Mercer, who extended his hitting streak to 11 games with his single, was lifted before the second inning. The Pirates later tweeted that he was being evaluated for head and right ear discomfort.

Utley broke Mets shortstop Ruben Tejada's leg with a hard takeout slide during the 2015 National League playoffs, a play that led Major League Baseball to adopt a rule prohibiting such slides.