VIDEO: Mike Soroka Forced to Exit Game After Being Hit by Pitch on Throwing Arm

With just one fastball that he couldn't locate, Washington Nationals starter Austin Voth gave everyone in the state of Georgia heart palpitations. Atlanta Braves starter Mike Soroka, who has emerged as the ace of the staff, was forced to leave his start after his first at-bat, when a Voth fastball hit him square on the right forearm.

This could be a major blow for Atlanta, as the team just demoted Mike Foltynewicz amid his struggles, and could now be forced to play without Soroka should this injury cause a stint on the IL.

In 12 starts this season, the 21-year-old Soroka has been nothing short of brilliant, posting an 8-1 record to go along with a 2.12 ERA and an ERA+ of 215.

Losing him to the IL would be extremely detrimental to the Braves' campaign, which currently sees them atop the NL East, hanging on to a 5.5-game lead over the Phillies. Without arguably their best pitcher in the rotation, that lead could diminish, and fast.

Hopefully a positive update will emerge, but it's never encouraging to see a young pitcher forced out of a ball game in the early innings, especially due to an incident at the plate.