Cole hit with pair of line drives

Gerrit Cole, MLB.com's No. 8 prospect, left his start with Double-A Altoona on Tuesday after being hit by a pair of line drives in the first inning.

Cole recorded two quick outs against Harrisburg before allowing back-to-back singles that scored a run. Destin Hood then hit a shot off Cole's glove, with the ball striking him in the face, and two batters later, Sean Nicol hit another line drive that struck Cole.

Cole stayed in the game and struck out the next hitter to end the inning.

"They're doing some tests -- [a] CT [scan] -- on him, to check him out," Altoona manager P.J. Forbes told the (Harrisburg) Patriot-News after the game. "I don't know anything more than that.

"He had some swelling. It wasn't swollen when we got out there. When he came off [the mound], it was starting to swell."

The outing marked the shortest start of Cole's brief career. He tossed 33 pitches while taking his first loss at the Double-A level.