Sawt Falasteen - Angels' Ward has facial fractures after hit by pitch

Ward took a 91.7 mph (147.58 Km/h) pitch from Blue Jays pitcher Alek Manoah to the left side of his face in the fifth inning of Saturday's game.

He crumpled to the ground and received attention from coaches and medical staff before he was helped to a cart and later hospitalized and released after diagnostic tests.

Manager Phil Nevin said before the Angels' game against the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on Sunday that Ward could require surgery, but there was no damage to his eye.

"It’s the best possible news we could get after what happened," Nevin said Sunday, adding that Ward was in "good spirits" in the hospital and later at the team's hotel on Saturday night.

"Anytime anybody gets hit, especially in the face, the first thing you think about is his health and that he's OK," teammate Mike Moustakas, who was in the on-deck circle when Ward was hit, said after the game.

It was another injury blow for an Angels team desperate to make the playoffs for the first time since 2014.

With superstar outfielder Mike Trout out until at least mid-August Ward had hit five home runs with seven doubles and 17 runs-batted-in in 20 games in July.

M.AlAhmad--SF-PST