Casilla hospitalized after blow to head

ST. PETERSBURG -- Orioles infielder Alexi Casilla will remain in a Tampa Bay area hospital on Monday night as the team travels north after suffering a collision in the bottom of the seventh inning of Baltimore's 5-4 loss to the Rays.

"Alexi got a pretty good blow to the head," manager Buck Showalter said of Casilla, who stayed in the game to finish the inning before departing and will undergo a CT scan and be monitored overnight. "I kind of found out after the fact. Looking back at it, I decided to get him out of there. I probably should have gotten him out of there from the get-go."

Casilla, who entered the game for injured third baseman Manny Machado in the top of the seventh, slammed his head into Nick Markakis while trying to make a diving catch on Wil Myers' bases-loaded blooper in shallow right field. The impact of the blow popped the ball out of his glove and allowed Tampa Bay to snap an 0-for-18 bases-loaded streak with a two-run single that tied the game at 4.

"It was just bang-bang," said Markakis, who was fortunate to absorb the blow with his thigh and not sustain a serious injury. "Me coming full speed. Him coming full speed. It was like trying to stop a train on a dime. It's tough. I'm just glad he is OK. He got banged up a little bit, but when it's all said and done, if he's OK, that's all that really matters."

Casilla was the second Oriole to exit the game against the Rays with an injury, joining Machado in an ugly game that culminated in the team's fifth consecutive loss. A rarely used bench player, Casilla entered as a pinch-runner for Machado and shifted to second base for the bottom of the inning. After Myers' play, he initially stayed on the ground for several minutes, but got up and stayed in as the O's recorded the final out of the inning.

"He got a little foggy-headed between innings and we got him out of there," Showalter said of Casilla, who he praised for being an exceptional teammate. "The heck with what kind of players [Machado and Casilla] are. They're two good young men who represent the Orioles very well, and our fans I know are very proud of the way they left it out on the field."

"It's tough," catcher Matt Wieters said. "We fought all year with the guys in this clubhouse, and to see two guys come out with injuries is never a good feeling as a teammate, especially guys who have played as hard as they have all year."