It is a scene that has been repeated far too often during Francisco Cervelli's five seasons with the Pirates.
The veteran catcher writhing in the dirt behind home plate in pain after being struck by a foul tip, a backswing or an errant pitch. Clint Hurdle and one of the athletic trainers coming out of the dugout to check on Cervelli.
The majority of time it turns out that Cervelli is OK despite seemingly getting dinged much more than the average catcher. Then there are scary moments like what happened in the fourth inning of Saturday night's 7-2 loss to the Dodgers at PNC Park, the fourth defeat in the last five games for the Pirates (25-24).
Cervelli was whacked on the back of his helmet by the barrel of Joc Pederson's broken bat with two outs in the fourth inning. Cervelli was then pinch hit for by backup catcher Elias Diaz in the bottom of the inning.
The Pirates later announced Cervelli had been removed because of "concussion-like symptoms."
While it should be noted that Cervelli was not positively diagnosed with a concussion, it must also be noted that he has a long history of head injures throughout his 12 years in the major leagues.
Cervelli was on the seven-day concussion injured list twice in each of the past two seasons. He also suffered three documented concussions during his seven years with the Yankees before being traded to the Pirates.
So, he has at least seven concussions. And that's just those that have been made public. Who knows how others he might have sustained but talked his way into staying in the game?
Players are customarily not made available to the media following games in which they suffer concussions.
However, on Friday, I asked him if he was concerned about the collective wear and tear catching has had on his 33-year-old body. He returned to the lineup Saturday after missing three games because of a bruised collarbone that came courtesy of a foul tip in Tuesday night's loss to the Rockies at PNC Park.
As usual, he shrugged it off.
"I'm a catcher," he said. "It's part of my job."
As with most medical issues, Hurdle declined to get into specifics about Cervelli's latest injury, saying "I just know that he felt bad enough to take him out of the game."
Cervelli originally stepped into the batter's box in the bottom of the fourth before removing himself from the game. That Cervelli had to make that call himself was a bit concerning. It seems someone else made the decision for him.
"I think there's a part of him that doesn't ever want to come out of games," Hurdle said. "There's a part of him that also thinks, 'You know what? I'm not going to do myself any good by continuing, either.' He's had enough experienced through it all by now that he knows when it's time to back away."
If Cervelli is placed on the IL, he would become the 22nd Pirates player to go on the list during a season that is just 49 games old.
It would also be the continuation of what has been a miserable season for Cervelli. He is hitting just .193/.279/.248 with four extra-base hits (three doubles and a home run) in 109 at-bats. That's not a lot of production for a guy making a team-high $11.5 million this season.
The Pirates would be in good hands with Diaz as the primary catcher should Cervelli be forced to the IL. However, that's secondary in many regards because it is becoming scary to think what the cumulative effects of all the concussions might have on Cervelli in the long run.
We've all read and heard the horror stories of some retired NFL and NHL players who had repeated concussions during their careers.
Cervelli is a vibrant guy with a charming personality, quick smile and a high degree of intelligence. After watching him take another blow to the hand, it's not to wonder -- and worry -- if he will continue to be that same vibrant person 20 years from now.
THE ESSENTIALS
• Boxscore
THE GOOD
Rookie Davis turned out to be a feel-good as he pitched three innings in relief of Joe Musgrove and allowed only one run.
It was Davis' first appearance in a major-league game since Sept. 20, 2017 with the Reds. He underwent hip surgery at the end of that season, spent last year in the minor leagues as he recovered from the operation then became a free agent in November when he was dropped from the 40-man roster.
"It's been a grind to get back here," the 26-year-old Davis said. "I'm just thankful to be here. To face those guys and that lineup in my first game back, I wouldn't want it any other way."
Davis said he promised himself he would been more appreciative of pitching in the major leagues if he made it back.
"A lot of times you take things for granted in this game," he said. "I did take for granted competing at this level and I'm man enough to admit it. You get complacent. I'm going to look back at it and really enjoy this one."
THE BAD
Musgrove (3-5) was tagged for six runs and 10 hits in five innings, striking out one and walking none. Seven of those hits were doubles.
"He gave everything he had," Hurdle said. "Unfortunately, there were a lot of mistakes made in the middle of the plate."
Musgrove pitched well against the Dodgers in Los Angeles on April 27 when he allowed only one earned run in 6 2/3 innings in a game the Pirates lost. However, the Dodgers turned the tables on the big right-hander this time around.
THE OTHER SIDE
The Pirates managed 10 hits off NL ERA leader Hyun-Jin Ryu in six innings but scored only two runs as they went 2 for 14 against the left-hander with runners in scoring position.
Ryu's 32-inning scoreless streak ended when the Pirates scored twice in the second inning to move ahead 2-1. However, he put the Dodgers ahead for good at 3-2 in the fourth when he hit an RBI double off the top of the right-center field fence.
"They were pretty aggressive at the plate and some of my pitches weren't as sharp as I wanted them to be," Ryu told reporters. "At the end of the day I did give up a lot of hits and it hurts to give up that many hits but I was able to limit damage."
Musgrove wasn't happy about getting beat by the opposing pitcher.
"I never take pitchers lightly but I needed to be more aggressive against him and make better pitches," he said.
Ryu's ERA jumped slightly to 1.62 from 1.52
THE DATA
• Each of the Pirates' last five games have been decided by five runs or more. They are 1-4 in that span.
• The Pirates have lost 16 of their last 18 games against the Dodgers, being outscored 126-58.
• Musgrove has lost all three career starts against the Dodgers with a 5.40 ERA.
• Ryu has won all six career starts versus the Pirates with a 2.58 ERA.
• The Dodgers hit eight doubles, the most by a major-league team this season.
THE INJURIES
• Chris Stratton, right-hander, was placed on the 10-day injured list before the game with a strained right side.
• Francisco Cervelli, catcher, left the game in the fourth inning with concussion-like symptoms.
• Corey Dickerson, outfielder, is on the 10-day IL with a strained right shoulder. He is on a rehab assignment with Class AAA Indianapolis.
• Keone Kela, right-hander, is on the 10-day IL with right shoulder inflammation. He began a rehab assignment with Indianapolis on Saturday night and allowed three runs in one inning.
• Trevor Williams, right-hander, is on the 10-day IL with a right side strain.
• Jameson Taillon, right-hander, is on the 60-day IL with a strained right forearm flexor tendon.
• Jung Ho Kang, third baseman, is on the 10-day IL with a strained left side.
• Lonnie Chisenhall, outfielder, is on the 10-day IL with a broken right hand but now has recurring calf tightness and, additionally, is away from the team on a personal leave.
• Erik Gonzalez, shortstop, is on the 60-day IL with a fractured right clavicle. He's still not doing baseball activities.
• Nick Burdi, relief pitcher, is on the 60-day IL with right elbow/biceps pain caused by a nerve problem.
THE SCHEDULE
The finale of the three-game series is at 1:35 p.m. Sunday with Chris Archer (1-4, 5.55) pitching against Kenta Maeda (5-2, 3.51). DK, Matt Sunday will be on the coverage.
THE COVERAGE
All our expanded baseball coverage, including Indy Watch by Matt Welch, Altoona Watch by Jarrod Prugar, and Mound Visit by Jason Rollison, can be found on our team page.