Mariners do OK vs. Shohei Ohtani the pitcher, but struggle with him at the plate
ANAHEIM, Calif. — As erratic as Shohei Ohtani was as a pitcher Friday night, he was even more electric as a hitter.
And that proved just enough to propel the Los Angeles Angels to a 5-4 victory over the Mariners, who despite seeming to hit the ball hard much of the night got just four hits in losing for the seventh time in their last nine games, and fifth in six games on this trip.
While the home fans surely left Angel Stadium buzzing over a 440-foot homer by Ohtani in the third inning on a night in which he also singled and doubled, the Mariners were left bumming that they hadn’t taken advantage of some uncharacteristic wildness by Ohtani during his five innings on the mound.
Ohtani tied a season high in walks with five — three in the first inning — and also hit a batter.
But other than a two-run homer by Jarred Kelenic in the first and a run-scoring single by Ty France in the fifth, the Mariners couldn’t take advantage.
“I thought we did a really good job against Ohtani to get his pitch count up,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said — Ohtani threw 31 in the first inning alone when he walked three. “Thought we were ready to go, we were right on him early on, just couldn’t put a big number up there like we probably needed to.”
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Worse, the Mariners couldn’t do much against four Angels relievers, getting just one hit in the final four innings — though it momentarily put a scare into the home crowd as Mike Ford led off the ninth with a solo home run.
Jose Caballero then walked. But J.P. Crawford fouled out, Julio Rodriguez struck out looking — his third of the night — and France lined out to center to end the game as the Mariners fell to 30-32.
“We got pressure on them there at the end,” Servais said. “We end the game on a ball well struck. Did a lot of good things. At the end of the day, it is about results.”
The offensive struggles proved fatal when starter Luis Castillo was a little erratic. Castillo had 10 strikeouts — one of Mike Trout with runners on second and third and the game tied in the fifth.
But he also allowed two home runs — the one to Ohtani and then a go-ahead two-run blast to Mickey Moniak in the sixth on what was his 102nd pitch, and what would have been his final batter had he gotten the out.
“Unfortunately he made a couple of mistakes,” Servais said. “Just a matter of a couple of swings for them that turned the tide in the game.”
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Castillo breezed through the Angels’ lineup the first time around, striking out five and allowing only a single by Ohtani through the open left side of the infield.
But with two outs in the third, Crawford booted a grounder from Taylor Ward.
That brought up Ohtani.
After having been penalized an automatic ball to start the at-bat for a pitch-timer violation, Castillo tried to sneak an 84.3 mph changeup by Ohtani.
But Ohtani wasn’t fooled, swinging and sending the ball high, far and deep.
Ohatni’s blast elicited an immediate roar from the crowd — and an almost as quick resigned drop of the shoulders from Castillo — a roar that only grew as the ball sailed through the Southern California night and finally landed far over the wall in the berm in center field 440 feet away to tie the score at 2.
“He’s Ohtani,” Castillo said with a shrug through his interpreter after the game.
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It was the seventh time in Ohtani’s career he has homered in a game in which he was also pitching.
The Angeles took the lead 3-2 in the bottom of the fourth when Anthony Rendon doubled to right on a ball that just eluded Teoscar Hernandez, followed by a single up the middle from Luis Rengifo.
In the top of the fifth, Ohtani walked Caballero and hit Rodriguez to put runners on first and second with one out in the fifth.
France looped one into center field to score Caballero and tie the score at 3.
But Kelenic followed by swinging at the first pitch he saw from Ohtani and hit it right to first baseman Jared Walsh, who started a 3-6-3 double play to end the inning — and the night as a pitcher for Ohtani, who threw 97 pitches, but barely half, 53, for strikes.
In the bottom of the inning, with one on and two outs, Ohtani rocketed a shot to left-center.
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And as Zach Neto — who had walked — raced to third, Ohtani kept going and sprinted and slid in to second.
That brought up Trout, and an at-bat that in the moment loomed as big as any in the game. Castillo threw four straight four-seam, 97 mph fastballs — two for balls and two for strikes.
Then on pitch five, Castillo changed things up, going with a slider that seemed to catch Trout off guard, and he swung and foul tipped it for strike three.
Castillo turned with a celebratory fist pump only to find himself looking right at Ohtani, beginning his trudge off second in disappointment.
But Castillo’s good vibes didn’t last.
He hit Rendon to lead off the sixth — Servais said he argued that the ball had hit Rendon’s bat — and after getting two outs, faced Moniak.
Castillo threw fastballs on all four pitches the first two for a swinging strike and a foul. After a ball, Castillo threw Moniak another 97 mph fastball, but this time left it over the plate a bit too much and Moniak got it barely over the wall in right center for a two-run homer and a 5-3 lead.
“I wanted [the pitch] a little higher,” Castillo said.
Matt Brash was warming up at the time, but Servais said he saw no reason to change there.
“Loved Luis out there, loved where we were at in the ballgame, thought his stuff was outstanding tonight,” Servais said. “They got a couple big swings on us tonight that was the game.”
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Source: The Seattle Times
