Shohei Ohtani struggles as Angels' losing streak reaches 6 games
Angels starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani looks at a ball during the fourth inning against the Houston Astros at Angel Stadium on Friday night.
The Angels knew what was bothering Shohei Ohtani when he was pulled from the mound in the sixth inning Friday night: the middle finger on his right hand, which worsened from a cracked nail to a finger blister in the weeks before the All-Star break.
The finger healed during the break. His outing did not worsen a wound during the Angels’ 7-5 loss to the Houston Astros at Angel Stadium, manager Phil Nevin said. It also did not feel completely fine. Nevin said Ohtani’s finger felt sensitive. When asked to share how his finger felt, Ohtani an assessment of his past few pitching starts.
“For the most part, things just didn’t go the way I want it to,” Ohtani said through interpreter Ippei Mizuhara. “And it’s kind of been like that when I was on the mound, the last couple outings.”
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It’s unclear whether it will impact his next start.
“Haven’t really talked about when my next outing is,” Ohtani said. “Just kinda gonna come to the field and see where my finger’s at. Think we’ll go from there.”
As uncertain as Ohtani was in the moment about his next start, so too seemed the future for the Angels (45-47), who dropped their sixth consecutive game and recorded their 10th loss in 11 games.
The Angels know there is heightened pressure to win with two weeks until the trade deadline, their games until then putting them up against playoff contenders.
After the Astros (51-41), who are in position for an American League Wild Card spot entering Saturday’s games, the Angels will next face the New York Yankees (49-43), who were two games out of the wild card; and later in the month will play the Toronto Blue Jays (51-41), who are also in position for a wild card.
Amid adversity, what gives the Angels confidence they can turn things around?
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“The talent in this room,” outfielder Mickey Moniak said. “It’s a rough patch, no ifs, ands or buts about it. But when this team is firing on all cylinders, I think we can compete with anybody in the league. Just not doing that right now. Just gonna need to really lock it in.”
Ohtani, the biggest star on a team in which his continued membership is not a guarantee after this season, was evasive when asked how confident he is in the Angels’ ability to win.
“We had plenty of hits today,” Ohtani said. “Just was missing that one big hit to win the game. And we scored enough runs as long as the pitching, including myself, kept the runs to a minimum. I felt like we could have won today.”
The Angels came out of the All-Star break determined to make their mark. Veteran first baseman Mike Moustakas, who the Angels traded for at the end of June, delivered a speech about unity.
“Just go out there and keep playing for each other,” Zach Neto, who returned from the injury list Friday, said while recalling the speech.
The feeling around the clubhouse Friday night, though, was understandably glum after several misplays extended a losing streak.
“Well we’re definitely not playing very good, so we’re definitely a little down,” reliever Aaron Loup said. “Because we know how good we can be. We’ve showed it… So the mood is not great, but we’re hanging in there.”
The inconsistencies in their performances have been clear during the past few weeks — the pitching, the offense, the defense or all three slipping at various times.
Throw in the rash of injuries that continue to plague the Angels and you get a team that entered Saturday with little room for any more losses. Reliever Sam Bachman (right shoulder inflammation) was the newest to the list of growing ailments and he was added to the injured list Saturday, along with Anthony Rendon (left shin bruise) and Jo Adell (left oblique strain).
But the Angels are not the only team experiencing significant injuries to starters. The Astros and Yankees have been weathering their own injury troubles.
“I am frustrated to a certain point, I mean, not just me, but I feel like the whole team is,” Ohtani said. “[I] think it’s just only natural when you can’t win games for the frustration to build up.”
Source: Los Angeles Times
