[ad_1]
Just days after Los Angeles manager Joe Maddon indicated that Shohei Ohtani might not pitch this season again due to pain in his right arm, the Angels’ two-way sensation was back on the mound on Sunday, tying his season record in strikeouts with 10 for pitching eight innings. in a 3-2 loss to the Oakland Athletics.
Ohtani was nominated to pitch Friday against Oakland in the opening of the final Los Angeles homestand, but that start was pushed back as the team debated whether to stop him on the mound. His aching arm apparently felt a lot better in a bullpen session on Friday, in which he threw about 30 pitches, and the Angels decided to hand the ball to Ohtani on Sunday as they completed another non-eliminatory season.
Ohtani allowed two runs and five hits with three walks on Sunday, as the A’s rebounded from a collapse of the relieving box to beat the Angels in 10 innings and stay within two games of Toronto for the second wildcard place AL.
Ohtani hit double-digit strikeouts for the first time since June 4, also going winless in consecutive starts on the mound for the first time since June.
Yan Gomes’ home run in the second inning and Matt Chapman’s push in the fourth put Ohtani up 2-0, who has allowed 14 home runs this season.
Oakland loaded up the bases with an eighth walkout on two walks and hit the batter. As the crowd backed Ohtani with chants of “MVP!” Jed Lowrie is out and Chapman has been taken out.
With two more possible pitching starts over the remainder of the season, Ohtani is 9-2 with a 3.28 ERA and 146 strikeouts in 123 of innings with 44 walks.
“He has a good idea of what he’s doing there and is constantly making adjustments,” Angels manager Joe Maddon said. them, but mainly the fastball. ”
Ohtani was 0-for-2 with two walks – one intentional – at home plate as he was second at bat. He’s hitting .257 with 44 homers and 94 RBIs, third for homers behind Vladimir Guerrero Jr. of Toronto (46) and Salvador Perez of Kansas City (45).
When asked about his motivation at the end of the season, Ohtani did not mention the MVP race.
“I have to keep throwing, and every time I throw I learn something and get better,” Ohtani said through a performer. “I want to kick off next year and beyond, so all the experience from this year is going to help me down the road.
“It was hard to keep the motivation going being out of a playoff race like this,” he said.
A starter Frankie Montas allowed a scoreless hit in seven innings, Brandon Marsh in third.
“When you play against Ohtani you know you have to be really good, and he was,” A manager Bob Melvin said of Montas. “He equaled him until the two were out of the game and really outperformed him.”
The A’s completed a three-game sweep and went 15-4 against the Angels, their most wins against the Angels in a season.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
[ad_2]
Source link