Batters hit in the head this season

[byrdz]

Does it seem like a lot of this has been going on this season? More than usual? Wright (concussion), Scutaro, Kinsler, Rolen and then this was downright scary looking.

Is it retaliation, batters are crowding the plate more, young pitchers not knowing how to throw inside?

[HeatherC12]

I don't know what it is but I've now seen two of my Reds get hit the head (and I was at the game when Scott Rolen got hit, sitting not far from home plate, and that was absolutely terrifying) and it's really scary. We also had a catcher go down with a concussion after getting hit in the helmet by a foul ball (he should be back tomorrow after a DL stint). Thankfully Micah is okay and I'm glad Scott is all right now but there does seem to be a higher number of guys getting hit in the head this year. It's so horrible to see as a fan.

[tvz1997]

Does it seem like a lot of this has been going on this season? More than usual? Wright (concussion), Scutaro, Kinsler, Rolen and then this was downright scary looking.

Is it retaliation, batters are crowding the plate more, young pitchers not knowing how to throw inside?

I think you're right about pitchers not knowing how to throw inside. Throwing at peoples' heads is crazy, but pitchers have to be able to bust guys inside. I've been wondering for a while now why so many pitchers seem to have trouble pitching inside from the thighs to the torso.

On a perhaps related note, one of my biggest pet leaves is the called HBP when the ball that hits the batter is in the strike zone or when the batter makes an attempt to move towards the incoming pitch. I wonder if this has made some pitchers more hesitant to pitch inside and therefore less skilled in doing so.