Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
The Angels are floundering, and now they might be without their two-way star for a while
Shohei Ohtani had one heck of a first inning on Wednesday against Cincinnati Reds.
But it may have come at a cost for the Los Angeles Angels.
Ohtani struck out a pair of Reds batters in the top of the first inning, and then hit his league-leading 44th home run in the bottom of the first to give the Angels an early 2-0 lead over Cincinnati:
However, Ohtani’s day ended shortly thereafter. Ohtani was lifted in the middle of an at-bat in the top of the second, and the team reported that he was pulled due to “arm fatigue:”
Shohei Ohtani was removed from today’s game with arm fatigue.
— Angels PR (@LAAngelsPR) August 23, 2023
Ohtani pitched a complete game one-hitter against the Detroit Lions back on July 27th, but has pitched just 11.1 innings since then over the course of three starts. He lasted just four innings against the Seattle Mariners on August 3rd, striking out four and not allowing a run. That start came on six days’ rest. He then went six innings against the San Francisco Giants on August 9th, striking out five and getting the win.
Then came Wednesday’s start, where he went just 1.1 innings.
Whether this will hamper his pitching, or both aspects of his game, remains to be seen.
As this is happening, the Angels are struggling in the playoff race. Los Angeles was just 4.5 games back in the AL West as July drew to a close, but they currently sit 11 games back in the division, thanks to a 5-14 record in August. Making matters worse, the Angels are now 9.5 games back in the Wild Card chase, with both the Toronto Blue Jays and the Boston Red Sox ahead of them.
Losing any aspect of Ohtani’s game — for any length of time — could be a fatal blow to their playoff chances.
