Angels Won Five In a Row, Thanks to Shohei Ohtani’s Offensive Performance, Making Up for His Lackluster Pitching
Angels Won Five In a Row, Thanks to Shohei Ohtani’s Offensive Performance, Making Up for His Lackluster Pitching – go on read more …
CA’s ANAHEIM VALLEY — On Friday night at Angel Stadium, the Los Angeles Angels (35-30) celebrated “Christmas in June” by beating the Seattle Mariners (30-32) by a score of 5-4.
Shohei Ohtani’s strong outing and Mickey Moniak’s solo shot gave Los Angeles the run of the plate. The two players were crucial in the Angels’ five-game victory streak.
Ohtani’s monstrous two-run homer in the bottom of the third inning (estimated to have traveled 440 feet) was the highlight of the game at the plate.
After a rough first inning in which he gave up a two-run home run to Jarred Kelenic, his offensive effort more than made up for it. Ohtani hit a home run, double, and single, for a perfect 4-0 night at the plate.
To complete the cycle, he lacked only a triple. In five innings of work, he gave up three hits, three runs, and six strikeouts.
It appears that Ohtani’s pitching has regressed from his previous two years. Five Mariners were walked on Friday night, and three of them scored.
Ohtani has stated that he must make some changes for the remainder of the season, and that he is also working on recovering from tiredness.
Recovery, fastball velocity, and arm strength are all areas where I can improve. Ohtani stated through a translator, “[My hard days] are the next day or two after pitching and seeing how my body reacts, soreness-wise.”
Angels manager Phil Nevin recently discussed Ohtani’s strong start to the year.
It’s hard to count the number of times this season that he’s walked the game’s first batter. Those first four or five starts this year were rough, but he always bounced back, and Nevin said his best performances came then.
However, he will agree with me that five walks is too many. I have faith that he will put in the effort to improve for the future.
This will be the 6-foot-4, 220 pound two-way player’s third attempt at making the All-Star team. Ohtani ranks third in home runs in the American League, seventh in RBI, fourth in hits, third in slugging percentage, and in the top 15 in earned run average (3.32).
Ohtani, who in 2021 became the first player in Major League Baseball history to be chosen as an All-Star as both a batter and a pitcher, aims to repeat that feat this year, since All-Star voting is currently underway.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, Moniak hit a two-run home run, putting the Angels ahead, 5-3. He discussed how he’s grown as a batter over time.
“I got beat with the heater my first two at bats and came back, and in that situation I’m just trying to put a good swing on it,” Moniak explained.
After spending [2022/21] in Philadelphia, I had a shift in perspective coming into this year. The ups and downs had made me more sensitive than usual. But I’ve been practicing, and I’m swinging well and feeling good about it.
These showings occurred against Luis Castillo, an excellent pitcher who is tenth in the American League in earned run average (2.70).
The first three innings were dominated by the Mariners, who allowed the Angels only one hit and zero runs.
After Ohtani’s third-inning home run, Luis Rengifo’s fourth-inning RBI single, and Moniak’s game-winning swing in the sixth, Los Angeles’ offense really got going.
Mike Ford, who had been called up from the minors on June 1, hit a home run in the ninth inning to get the Mariners within one run. But the Angels held on, and Mike Trout’s catch of a deep fly ball in the ninth inning sealed the victory.
Ohtani will need to maintain his dominance if the Angels are to continue their ascent up the American League standings and win both of this weekend’s home games against the Seattle Mariners.
