Rowand Breaks Cheek Bone

San Francisco Giants CF Aaron Rowand suffered two small fractures in his left cheekbone and a mild concussion on Friday after he was hit in the face and the helmet with a pitch. It happened in the Giants game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, courtesy of Dodgers' P Vicente Padilla. A CT scan revealed his injuries. It is not clear how much time Rowand will miss because of his injuries. Earlier in the game, Giants P Todd Wellenmeyer threw tight to Dodgers CF Matt Kemp. Kemp hit a home run off of him earlier in the game.

This injury is unfortunate for Rowand because he seems to be the player to suffer bizarre injuries. Back in 2006, when Rowand was with the Philadelphia Phillies, he made a spectacular catch but his face violently hit the center field wall, and he ended up breaking his nose. The Giants are off to a good start this season, and they are going to need Rowand healthy for the majority of the season if they are going to continue to succeed.

While this injury is unfortunate, there isn't much baseball can do to prevent injuries of that nature. Sometimes, pitchers lose control of the ball and throw wild pitches. That was the case with Rowand's injury. The only way to prevent a player from getting hit in the face is to put a face guard on every batter's helmets.