MILWAUKEE -- Brewers starter Jimmy Nelson was hit on the back of the head by a line drive off the bat of Tommy Pham in the third inning of Milwaukee's 6-3 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday night.
The team said a CT scan revealed on a contusion for Nelson and that he will remain hospitalized overnight for observation.
Pham hit an 89 mph slider that ricocheted off Nelson and down the left-field line.
Nelson fell to the ground face down and remained prone for about a minute after the ball struck him on the right side of the back of his head. Nelson then rose to his knees before standing on his own and walking off the field as Pham watched with a look of anguish.
Trainer Dan Wright accompanied Nelson to the clubhouse.
Nelson was removed from the game with the Cardinals leading 3-0 and was replaced by David Goforth, who gave up five hits and one earned run in four innings.
Nelson became the fifth pitcher this season to be hit in the head by a line drive, though the other four were hit in the face.
Currently, there are three types of cap padding available for major league pitchers, with a fourth being developed for use in 2016, according to sources from MLB and the MLB Players Association.
Information from Outside the Lines' William Weinbaum and The Associated Press was used in this report.
