Los Angeles Angels’ Shohei Ohtani was held hitless for the second straight game.
The Angels lost 4-5 at home to the Baltimore Orioles on June 6 at Angels Stadium in Anaheim, California, USA.
Ohtani did not play on the day. It was the second straight day he did not step to the plate. After a three-hit silence against the Oakland Athletics on April 4, his second straight game without a hit and his 10th straight game without producing a home run, Ohtani had been on the bench since the previous day (April 5) against Baltimore.
During Ohtani’s absence, the major league home run leaderboard changed. Atlanta slugger Matt Olson moved into a tie for first place with Ohtani with his 44th homer of the season on April 4, and he added one more on the same day against the St. Louis Cardinals to take sole possession of first place.
Of course, the American League home run title is reserved for Ohtani. Texas infielder Corey Seager is second in the American League with 28 home runs. Ohtani has a comfortable lead. Overall, Olson is hitting the most home runs in the big leagues this year.
New York Mets slugger Pete Alonso is two behind Ohtani with three homers in two games.
Angels manager Phil Nevin explained Ohtani’s absence. “He went through all the tests,” Nevin said. It looks like he has some inflammation. He wanted to play, but he felt he needed a day (of rest). We’ll discuss it again tomorrow.”
Ohtani left the game against the Baltimore Orioles on May 5 after feeling soreness in his side during batting practice. “There is some inflammation in his side, but not enough to call it an injury,” Nevin said at the time. “He’s going to need a day of rest,” he added at the time.
Ohtani is no longer on the mound due to a right elbow ligament injury. The “two-hitter” is done for the year. But he wanted to continue playing as a designated hitter.
“We’ve been talking to him,” Nevin said, “and he’s expressed a desire to play, but we didn’t think it was appropriate today. We’ll see how he feels tomorrow, check his status, and if he passes, we’ll make a decision (on whether to play).”메이저사이트
Ohtani finished the year with a 10-5 record and a 3.14 ERA as a pitcher. He is a left-handed hitter with an injured right arm, so he is expected to continue to play as a hitter. However, he had a two-game hitless streak that ended on April 3 against Oakland. He hasn’t hit a home run in 10 games since May 24 against Cincinnati.
It will be interesting to see if Ohtani can break the drought in his next game and get the home run machine going again.