Shohei Ohtani’s (Angels) return is dragging on. There have been rumors that he has set a date for surgery, but even that remains uncertain. Without Ohtani, the Angels finished the four-game series against Cleveland with a 3-1 win and a sweep.

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim took a 2-1, one-run victory over the 2023 Major League Baseball (MLB) Cleveland Indians at Angels Stadium in Anaheim, California, on April 11. After five innings of one-run ball from starter Kenny Rosenberg, four bullpen arms combined for a scoreless relay.

The team went 3-8, five fewer hits than Cleveland, but scored one more run. Randal Grichuk’s grounder in the third inning scored the winning run. The Angels have won two straight. It’s their first winning streak since taking two of three from the Mets on April 26-27. They improved to 67-77 on the season, a .465 winning percentage.

Ohtani misses seventh straight game without a pinch-hitter

The Angels starting lineup was Randall Grichuk (left field), Brandon Drury (second base), Mike Moustakas (first base), Logan Ohafi (designated hitter), Eduardo Escobar (third base), Chad Wallach (catcher), Jordyn Adams (right field), Brandon Phillips (center field), and Kieren Farris (shortstop). Ohtani was out of the starting lineup for the seventh straight game.

Ohtani complained of right lateral soreness while taking batting practice before a game against the Baltimore Orioles on May 5. He missed six consecutive games before returning to the lineup on Oct. 10 against Cleveland. In the meantime, Angels manager Phil Nevin has reiterated that Ohtani could be ready to go soon, but the team will continue to monitor his status.

Before the game, Nevin said, “We’re taking it day by day. I think it’s going to be a day. Ohtani said he’s fine today, and if he’s not (able to play on the 11th), he’ll be able to play in Seattle on the 12th. We’ll keep checking,” he explained.

However, USA Today made waves when it reported a rumor that Ohtani could have elbow surgery on the 11th. Both Ohtani and the Angels have yet to comment on the surgery. “People familiar with Ohtani’s thinking believe he could have Tommy John surgery (elbow ligament reconstruction) in the next 10 days,” the outlet reported on April 4. The schedule has led to speculation that the Nov. 11 game, the end of a seven-game homestand, is Ohtani’s “D-Day” for the season, but Nevin did mention the possibility of Ohtani playing against the Seattle Mariners on Nov. 12.

Now, even the Japanese media is distrusting the Angels’ announcement. The Yomiuri Shimbun reported on the morning of the 11th that “Ohtani, who is suffering from a sore right flank, has been out of the starting lineup for seven consecutive games. He missed six consecutive games until yesterday (Oct. 10),” and “Nevin said tomorrow (Oct. 12) would be realistic (for Ohtani’s return) before the 11th game. Ohtani said he felt good today,” the report said.

“(Nevin) reiterated the same thing the day before. It’s unclear if he’ll be in the starting lineup on the 12th.”

As a pitcher, Ohtani appeared in 23 games and threw 132 innings, posting a 10-5 record with a 3.14 ERA and 167 strikeouts.

As a hitter, he batted .304 with a 1.066 OPS, 44 home runs, 20 doubles and 95 RBIs in 135 games. He leads the American League in home runs and the majors in slugging percentage (.412) and OPS (.654).

First win as a rookie

Rosenberg was the star of the game for the rookie. Rosenberg, who made his debut last year, was 1-1 with a 4.94 ERA in six games in the majors prior to this game. This year, he has started 20 games for the Triple-A Salt Lake City Bees, going 7-7 with a 4.95 ERA.

He made his first big league start of the season on Aug. 12 against the Houston Astros, allowing four runs in five innings, and then pitched two scoreless innings in relief against the Cincinnati Reds on Aug. 24. On Sept. 5 against Baltimore, Rosenberg took the loss despite a six-inning, three-run quality start as the Orioles fell to 3-6.

Rosenberg gave up a game-tying home run to Cole Calhoun in the second inning after taking a 1-0 lead, but went five innings, allowing one run on six hits with one walk and four strikeouts to earn his first career win.

Rosenberg’s first career win, and the Angels’ winning streak, came off the bat of Grichuk, who led off the bottom of the first with a double. Drury followed with a single to put runners on first and third, and Mustackus followed with a sacrifice fly to right field to plate Grichik.바카라사이트

With the score tied 1-1 in the third, Grichik singled. One out later, Paris singled and Cleveland starter Tanner Beebe issued back-to-back walks, allowing Grichuk to score Paris from first and third on a grounder to third base. The RBI single made it 2-1.

Rosenberg found himself in a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the fifth after giving up a double to Stephen Kwan. He first got Jose Ramirez to fly out to center, then gave up a double steal to put runners on second and third. But he got a swinging strikeout of David Freese to end the game.

Four Angels relievers each pitched one scoreless inning to help Rosenberg earn his first career win. Andrew Wietz, Ben Joyce, Jimmy Huggett and Carlos Estevez did their part. Estevez earned his first career 30-save season with the save.

admin