Cease Exits Early for Blue Jays; Guerrero Jr. Also Leaves After HBP

TORONTO -- Blue Jays right-hander Dylan Cease left Sunday's game against the Pirates in the fifth inning because of mild left hamstring discomfort.

Slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. left in the bottom half after being hit on the right elbow by a pitch from Mitch Keller . Lenyn Sosa came in to run for Guerrero and took over at first base for Toronto. The Blue Jays later said that X-rays came back negative and that it's just a contusion.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider and head athletic trainer Jose Ministral came to the mound in the top half of the inning after Cease shook his leg several times between pitches. Cease stayed in to retire Spencer Horwitz but was then replaced by left-hander Mason Fluharty .

Cease allowed two runs and four hits in 4⅔ innings. He walked one and struck out eight. It's just the second time in 11 starts this season that Cease has failed to finish five innings.

He has made at least 30 starts in each of the past five seasons, one of just four big league pitchers to do so. The others are also Blue Jays starters: José Berríos , Patrick Corbin and Kevin Gausman .

Cease joined the reigning American League champions in December, signing a seven-year, $210 million contract.

Horwitz homered on Cease's first pitch of the game Sunday, and Oneil Cruz made it 2-0 with a leadoff home run in the second.

The Blue Jays have 13 players on the injured list, including starting pitchers Shane Bieber (elbow), Berríos (elbow), Bowden Francis (elbow), Cody Ponce (right knee) and Max Scherzer (forearm).

_Originally reported by [ESPN](https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/48863250/blue-jays-dylan-cease-vladimir-guerrero-jr-exit-game-early)._