The Los Angeles Angels are in the midst of a major first-half scare.
Three of the team’s top players are dealing with physical issues.
Shohei Ohtani, who started the game against the San Diego Padres on the same day Mike Trout was placed on the disabled list (IL), pitched his worst game of the season with a blistered finger, and Anthony Rendon is expected to return to the IL with a shin injury.
The outfielder suffered a fractured metacarpal bone in his left hand when he fouled off a Nick Martinez pitch in the eighth inning at San Diego on April 4. He may need surgery and is expected to miss time. He has been told he will need a minimum of four weeks of rehabilitation and a maximum of eight weeks. Trout has been on the IL every year since 2021 after suffering a major injury. He hasn’t escaped injury this season either.토토사이트
Ohtani took the loss in a rough outing at Petco Park, allowing five runs on seven hits, including two home runs, and four walks in five innings. Ohtani, who was concerned after breaking a nail on his right middle finger against the Chicago White Sox on March 28, made the start a day later than originally planned, but was removed after 86 pitches when a blister appeared on the same finger while he was pitching.
Ohtani gave up a two-run double to Jake Cronenwirth in the bottom of the fourth inning with the score 0-0, then fell apart in the sixth inning when he gave up back-to-back homers to batters trailing 1-2. After giving up a leadoff single to Manny Machado, Ohtani gave up an 81.1-mph sweeper to Xander Bogaerts to left-center for a two-run homer, then promptly gave up a 92.6-mph fastball to Cronenworth for a two-run homer to right-center.
He was eventually replaced by Aaron Loup, who walked off the mound with his head down. Ohtani took the loss as the Angels fell 5-8. He improved to 7-4 on the season, his ERA jumped to 3.32, and he struck out five, giving him 132 for the season.
Finger blisters are “recurrent,” so he should get plenty of rest. As a result, his All-Star Game appearance is out of the question. Ohtani, who was selected to pitch for the AL in the 93rd All-Star Game in Seattle on June 12, will only play as a designated hitter, not a pitcher.
Ohtani joins Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Shane McClellanahan of the Tampa Bay Rays as the third pitchers to be selected to the All-Star Game only to have to sit out due to injury.
After the game, Ohtani said, “The injuries definitely put us in a tough spot. All the guys are doing their best. We just have to try to win one race at a time.” “The blister I got today is similar to the one I got in my last start. It didn’t heal perfectly. It got worse as the innings went on.”
On the day, Ohtani’s fastball topped out at 98.0 mph and averaged 95.3 mph. His average velocity was down 1.8 mph from his season average of 97.1 mph. He touched 92 mph in the first inning.
Angels manager Phil Nevin said, “Ohtani didn’t have full control of his fastball in the sixth inning. I asked him right before the inning if he was okay, and he said yes. He threw a practice pitch and gave me a thumbs up. But with more pitches, it felt a little different. The blister was affecting me,” he said.
Ohtani, who will not pitch in the All-Star Game, will make his first start of the second half on June 16 against the Houston Astros. It will be after 10 days of rest.
Rendon was hit in the left shin by his own foul ball in the top of the fourth inning and suffered a bruise. It will be his second trip to the IL this season. Rendon, who was placed on the DL with a left groin strain on March 16, returned to the field on April 1, only to spend four days on the DL again.
The three players have a combined salary of $156.9 million this year.
With their second straight loss, the Angels remained in third place in the AL Central and fifth wild-card spot with a 45-43 record, but fell seven games behind the division-leading Texas Rangers and four games behind the second wild-card spot, the New York Yankees and Houston Astros.