Los Angeles Angels’ Shohei Ohtani (29) came up short in his first start of the second half.
Ohtani made his second start of the season against the Houston Astros at Angels Stadium in Anaheim, California, U.S., on April 15, going 5 innings, allowing five runs (four earned) on five hits, three walks and one hit batter with seven strikeouts, while going 1-for-5 at the plate.
Ohtani is having one of the best seasons of his career, batting .346 (105-for-106) with 32 homers, 71 RBIs and a 1.046 OPS in 90 games as a hitter and 7-5 with a 3.50 ERA in 18 games (105⅓ innings) as a pitcher. He’s on pace to win his second MVP award in 2021.
However, his first start of the second half was less than satisfactory. He gave up five runs on four hits and four walks to take the loss. After giving up a walk to leadoff hitter Cory Zulks in the sixth inning, Ohtani was visibly upset and unable to hide his emotions.
“Ohtani started as the No. 2 hitter and suffered his fifth loss of the season,” said Japanese media outlet Full Count. With the loss, the Angels dropped their sixth straight game, the longest losing streak of the season,” said a report on Ohtani and the Angels’ struggles.
When asked about his emotional outburst in the dugout in the sixth inning, Ohtani said, “I think (disappointment) is there. When you’re on the verge of losing, everyone has that feeling. I didn’t pitch the way I thought I should,” he lamented.카지노사이트
Ohtani did not pitch in the All-Star Game after suffering a nail and blister injury in his last start of the first half. In the game, he took the mound with acrylic on his nails and threw 94 pitches, but he showed signs of concern throughout the game, checking the condition of his nails.
Manager Phil Nevin said, “When he was throwing in the sixth inning, the translator told me he might have a problem. I was getting Jacob Webb ready and he gave up a walk, so I wanted to check it out,” Nevin said. “The nail wasn’t broken, but it was injury-prone, so we took him out. It’s not something that will affect his next start.”
“I’ll check it tomorrow,” Otani said. The fingertip is so delicate. Pitching is one of those things where even if you’re pitching well until the end, it can all go wrong at the last second, but it’s the season, so you have to do it. It’s an experience,” he said of his nail condition.