The Riverside Press-Enterprise
Ohtani declines invite to Home Run Derby
ANAHEIM » It’s still unclear just what Shohei Ohtani will do at the All-star Game on Tuesday, but we now know that he won’t be participating in the Home Run Derby on Monday.
Ohtani was invited to participate in the Derby for a second straight season, but he declined, according to a source.
Last year Ohtani was the top seed going into the eight-man Derby, and he lost to Washington Nationals outfielder Juan Soto in the first round, admitting afterward it was fun but exhausting.
Ohtani will be the starting designated hitter for the American League. He was also selected as a pitcher, but it remains to be seen if he’ll be the starting pitcher.
Astros manager Dusty Baker, who is leading the AL All-star team this year, said this week in Anaheim that Ohtani is “probably” in the mix to be the starting pitcher, as he was last year.
Baker raved about Ohtani on Wednesday, even before he pitched six innings to beat the Astros.
“He’s not just an Allstar — he’s a megastar,” Baker said. “I mean, he’s one of the top offensive players and one of the top pitchers around. And he’s smart. I can tell the way he plays the game that he’s not only talented but he’s smart.”
Tampa Bay Rays lefthander Shane Mcclanahan and Astros righthander Justin Verlander are also candidates to pitch the first inning.
Trout update
Mike Trout was unavailable for a second straight game because of back spasms, but he could be back to face the Dodgers tonight.
“We’re going to talk about it in the morning,” Angels manager Phil Nevin said after Thursday’s 3-2 loss to the Astros. “We’ll see how he feels when he wakes up. He was a lot better today. Really it was my decision on this one. I just want him right. If he tells me he’s ready to go tomorrow, I’ll trust him on that one.”
This is the third time this season that Trout has missed games with an injury that wasn’t serious enough for him to go on the injured list. The threetime AL MVP missed three games with a groin issue in June and three games after he was hit by a pitch in April.
Walsh out
Jared Walsh did not start on Thursday. Although the Angels were facing left-hander Framber Valdez, Nevin said Walsh was not getting the day off because they were facing a lefty. Nevin said Walsh will start tonight against Dodgers lefty Clayton Kershaw.
“It’s more of a mental break,” Nevin said. “When you’re working on things, just to get him to watch a game. Slow down a little bit.”
Nevin said Walsh has been working on tweaking his swing because he’s been in a slump lately. Walsh was hitting .136 with a .300 OPS over his previous 16 games.
Walsh is hitting .240 with a .703 OPS this season, after hitting .277 with an .850 OPS during his Allstar
season in 2021.
“When you struggle when you had not the results you wanted for a little bit, you’re gonna tend to tinker with a few things (in his swing),” Nevin said. “It’s more just to get a flatter bat path to pitches up in the zone. He’s working hard. He really is. It’s frustrating for him not being where he wants to be in the game. It’s been a little bit of a tough battle for him for the last week and a half or so. But obviously, he’s done a lot of good things at this level.”
Also
The Angels traded infielder Tyler Wade to the New York Yankees for cash considerations or a player to be named. The Angels had designated Wade for assignment two weeks earlier to create a spot for Michael Stefanic. Wade hit .218 with a .544 OPS for the Angels in 67 games. He had played the first five years of his major league career with the Yankees, before the Angels claimed him on waivers last winter . ... Infielder Matt Duffy (back strain) said that Thursday that he’s improved dramatically. “Today is the best it’s felt since the day I hurt it,” Duffy said. Duffy said running and taking ground balls are the two main hurdles to clear before he’s ready to play.